The day after the wedding, is more important than the wedding day.
The day after you give birth, is more important
than the day you give birth.
The day after the accolade, the day after you
arrive in the new country, the day after.
Think of the day after; because that’s the most
important day.
We have all watched interviews, heard our
friends say it and often gushed it ourselves, that our wedding day, or the day
we got the job, or the day we travelled, gave birth, were the most important
days of our lives.
I halt y’all, right there, skid marks and all.
A screeching halt, burnt rubber, with the awful smell rising.
The most important day, is the day after.
When you’re a virgin on your wedding night and
were promised angels and golden awards for your virginity, you’ll most likely
still be waiting, because the day after is when your thighs are bruised, your
head aches and you’re dazed, from a long night of partying and listening to speeches,
camera lights, preceded by a week of sleepless nights.
It’s the day you wake up from all of this and
you are still determined that it was worth it and you can actually see what you
both look like without make-up, bow ties and hair gel, without maids in waiting
and carriages at your beck and call. That is the most important day. When the
butterflies have gone to roost and your body and mind are healing from the
flurry of it all, and you are still agreeable, then congratulations.
It's the day after the media interviews, holding your countless trophies, hugging a ceaseless number of friends, acquaintances and skeptics, when all of that is gone and the trophies have no space in your sitting room and your phone stops ringing, the job offers have stopped flooding in and when the last camera has stopped clicking and the party is over.
It’s the day after all of that, when there is hardly
any response to any of the emails from the large pile of business cards that
were thrust into your hands, during your moments of fame.
If, after all of that, you can still thrust
your chest out and hold a smile that’s warmer than Uganda, and acknowledge your
goals, aspirations and visions to a brighter tomorrow, then you’ve found the
most important day. It’s not the award but it’s what it represents. Because
even without it, and even without the fame, it means you still know who you are
and what you stand for.
I have had more media interviews than I can
count, my name mentioned in more circles than I dare to say and my former students
spent copious amounts of time googling my name in awe. Did any of that matter?
Maybe.
What I do know is that even before google, and
I had my yahoo account, I still knew what I stood for and what I represented.
Old email address: bevwithjc@yahoo.com
It’s always the day after, that matters. Build
your foundation. Remain unshakeable, with or without the accolade. You are.
Bless!
Beverley N Nsengiyunva
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