There’s Food At Home

My father often said I would understand when I got older, but I argued with him mentally. I had other beliefs.

I passionately thought that life improved with each generation and that we wouldn’t repeat our ancestors’ mistakes unless we made the same choices.

In simple terms, I thought my dad was ‘capping’. Then, I grew up. I’m still growing, and now, I know better. Adulthood teaches us with the same curriculum it taught our parents.

Class is in session, and what shocks me the most is that this topic seems like something my mother would have loved to teach.

As children, we wanted so many things. You could be strolling with your mother, see a shiny wrapper of an edible you’ve never tasted, and immediately say, “Mummy, buy for me.”

If you have an African mum, what would her response be? “There’s food at home.”

This is where our lesson starts.

Recently, I was walking home and saw something I had been craving for a while. When I asked the price, I thought, why spend this much when you could go home and make yourself a meal?

I said to myself, “There’s food at home.” Has this ever happened to you?

Could it be that the wisdom of our mothers was a subtle lesson on contentment? In that excuse not to spend, there’s a life lesson that saves.

This lesson applies to almost every aspect of life. You meet a pretty girl at a party while you’re already in a relationship. You both find shared interests after a few drinks. Remember, there’s food at home.

A cute guy who always leads you on and then ghosts you reappears just after you find someone who genuinely loves and wants to be in your life, and you find yourself longing for him again.

Remember, there’s food at home.

You go out on a date with your friends. You had planned to just have drinks, but once you get there, you start craving the menu even though your bank account warned you to stay at home.

Remember, there’s food at home.

Everything looks enticing until it’s yours; then you begin to see the flaws. If you look deeper, this motherly lesson, in a way, teaches us to arrange our priorities.

It forces you to ask yourself if what’s in front of you is truly important. It acts as a verbal colander to filter wants from needs, substance from fleeting cravings, and what’s necessary from what can wait or what you can do without.

Life will put pressure on you. You will see your peers excel, and you, too, will long for that. You might even feel depressed about how slow your life is moving. Though it’s born out of comparison, you will forget that you have ‘food at home.’

Be patient. You’ll soon get home, don’t get carried away. I hope this helps you today.