Embracing the unknown: Saying Yes to New Beginnings
Lessons from parenting.
Looking back at my younger self, I can’t help but marvel at how different my perspective was compared to my children’s. As I observe them and engage in discussions, it triggers a reflection on my youth. Did I view the world through the same lens as they do? Did I contemplate my future in the same way? Did I even have any long-term plans beyond the upcoming week?
For too many of these questions, my honest answer is a resounding “No.” I didn’t perceive the world in the same manner as my children. My world revolved around the urban area I grew up in, and my primary aspiration was to escape its confines. I wasn’t particularly concerned about the destination, as long as it meant breaking free from the familiarity and limitations of my surroundings.
Thinking about the future felt weird to me. It was my mother who persistently urged me to attend school, but I despised it. In my mind, surviving week by week was a significant achievement, and school represented a source of misery more than anything else.
I was not an individual with clear goals or aspirations at that stage of my life. Apart from my love for reading and a desire to explore the world through travel, I had no concrete plans. So, when my boyfriend proposed that I would leave my country to start a new…
