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Fadzayi Maposah-Correspondent
Since reading about the benefits of walking, I am encouraged to keep walking. Usually I listen to some music or some audio book as I walk.
On some days I just walk with no ear phones. I have made many new acquaintances just because of taking time to walk. It is always nice to see a familiar face when walking. When I see some people I can tell that I am running late! They always seem to be rushing to where they should be!
Not everyone is like me, the other responses that I get from the acquaintances on the road are low. I have come to realise that I am not being ignored and that the low response is not forced but it is because that is how that person is.
When I saw something on WhatsApp that said: “Remember it is not always about you!”. I could only say well put. At times we focus so much on what we could have done to upset the other person and in the process torture ourselves unnecessarily.
When you feel like that: “Remember it is not always about you!”
A few days ago, I was walking home after a long day’s work. It had been a hectic day. Some things had not gone according to plan. So I just wanted to get home and rest. The walk is part of the daily routine to exercise and also clear my mind, get to think about things in another way. Getting a new perspective, in some way.
A big car went past me and then stopped. The term, big car is terminology that I have gained from my interactions with very young boys and girls.
These do not know the models or makes of any vehicles, they simply refer to cars as being big or small. When the car stopped I continued walking.
Then the hooter was sounded. I continued walking. Second time the hooter was sounded, I turned and realised that there was no one behind me except the big car.
So I walked back to the car.
When I got to the car, the passenger window was brought down. I saw the driver. There in his African print/Java shirt and a cowboy hat was someone I have known for a long time.
I guess if it is almost two decades then it is a long time. There are some people that as soon as you see them, you just start to smile. The reason is that you know that they are good for your health.
It was checking in time for both of us. I acknowledged the big car that he was driving and said that I had told myself that I did not know anyone with such a car.
My friend is a farmer. One year when I had not seen him for a long time and I asked him where he had been, he told me that he was busy farming and I would enjoy the benefits of his hard work.
So each time that I see him, I ask him when I am going to enjoy the fruits of the farming since the days have turned into weeks, weeks into months, months into years…but then I cannot break my friendship because he farms and does not share the fruits of his labour can I?
We talked briefly about work and family with him asking how the little girls were. I guess the first impressions are what stick with an individual.
He first met the girls when they were young and can never get used to the fact that they are now independent young women.
Children will always be children. When my mother, Ma Ncube kumusha kuSanyati refers to me, she probably does so in such a way that the person may think that I am very young only to be shocked when I get there!
He offered to give me a ride home while we continued with the catch up. When I declined the offer saying that I had a target to meet for the day, he laughed and asked me why.
I asked him how much time he had so that I could share the immense benefits of walking. I quickly added that one benefit that I was enjoying was that I was managing my weight and I would be an energetic old woman!
Then he laughed that the determination I had shown just by saying that showed how committed I was to walking. I told him that I was committed to doing my very best once I set my mind to something.
Under done eggs are not my favourite neither is less than total commitment to anything. It is either I do it properly or I just do not do it at all! I digress…
I was about to say goodbye to my friend when he said he had something to say. I told him I was listening. What he said next was enough to have a big, big smile, almost bigger than his car on my face!
He said: “Fadzi, I have been following what you are writing in the newspaper. I think that you have written enough on that subject. It is time to shift and discuss something new”.
When he saw that I was smiling he asked: “Why are you smiling?”
I told him that I smiled because I was happy that he had been following the “it” experience stories but quickly added that I did not believe that it was enough yet and I would be dedicating some articles to males so that they could fully have “it” experiences like Chihwa had when his daughter started menstruating!
As I walked home while my friend drove off in his big car, I really thought about the need to tailor make the “it” experience for male friends and family members as they are key stakeholders!
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