your light is extraordinary

even if you are a small forest surviving off of moon alone. your light is extraordinary. — reminder. nayyirah waheed. 

I finished eating the plate of posho and spinach. She asked me, “Why do you play small?”  my first reaction was that she was talking about my weight. I responded, “I play small because I work out” and I chuckled.

 She gave me a blank stare! “Do you know that you have a responsibility to yourself, to your ancestors, to your spirit?” Ok now it was getting serious, now it was time for me to pay attention.  “What do you mean?” 

“It is your responsibility to excel, to glow, to do what you know you can do.

“It makes no sense holding it all back! What are you saving it for? Why do you give one single thought to what other people think? Those who are for you and what you stand for will remain, the rest are passing through on your journey, leave them, and continue along your path!

Please, honour your responsibilities, your purpose and your ancestors. There is no way that you will go off course, off target without getting back on track.”

I sat there silent nodding my head for about a couple of minutes and then I got up abruptly thanking them for the food and walked out of the compound.

Firstly, where did that come from? What does playing small have to do with cooking and eating?

I walked up the hill in the blazing heat, the dust from the road that I usually run from not bothering me at all!  “It is my responsibility to glow.” How many times have I dimmed my light to avoid offending someone? How many times have I played small because I wanted people to like me? How did she know? I never told her!

She was absolutely right! Staring at the very thing that I feared right in the face was what I needed to do.

Little did I realise that there is nothing that I can do to dim this shine. No matter how much I played it down to make people feel better or like me. When light enters a room it has no choice but to shine! How many of us play small? It serves no good purpose!

I walked to the top of the hill looking down at the long street filled with dust and vendors and the jam! Why am I here? To shine my light, to just shine and light the way for those who are around me.

Peace

Excerpt from Nyabo(Madam) - Why Are You Here?