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I will be 40 next year.
I remember my dads 40th birthday vividly. We (read my mum) bought him a beautiful Yamaha acoustic guitar that glistned in the sun and made the most beautiful music you have ever heard.
I remember my dads 40th birthday vividly. We (read my mum) bought him a beautiful Yamaha acoustic guitar that glistned in the sun and made the most beautiful music you have ever heard.
Yinka was a vibe! He held audiences captive with his wit and banter, his presence filled a room effortlessly and his charm was universal. Young or old, male or female. Everyone fell in love with him
As I get older I seem myself in him more and more. I sympathize with his struggles, the same ones I judged him for, and I recognise his humanity as I peer into mine. He was, like I am, just a man, trying his best to live his life the best way he knew how
If you were born in the 80s chances are you will be 40 soon too.
This means that, like me you too can remember your parents when they were your age.
We are growing up and our parents are getting older, and for some of us, it means that they may be entering their last few years
This means that, like me you too can remember your parents when they were your age.
We are growing up and our parents are getting older, and for some of us, it means that they may be entering their last few years
If you are lucky enough to still have your mum or dad with you, you may want to seek out time to sit with them and build memories. Plumb the depths of their souls and discover them through the eyes of an adult, not those of a child
Pour your dad a drink and download his hopes and fears and dreams. Find out what kind of person her was before life happened, who he had hoped to be, what he would have wanted to become. Find out all the things he gave up so that you could be YOU
Take your mum on a spa date, paint your nails and ask her about her youth, her days of beauty and how she made heads turn. Ask her about life and what she made of it. Let her tell you stories of her deepest hurts and greatest joys
See yourself through their eyes, and see them as they see themselves. They won't be here forever
With every passing day you have a narrowing window of opportunity to truly know the person whose life made yours possible, to peer behind the veil of perfect parenting to see the boy or girl they once were and the man or woman they have become
To see the true humanity of your parents, their imperfections but also their true genius, the sweat and blood and tears that made for your childhood memories and the sacrifices they endured to give you the foundation upon which your life now stands
