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Fadzayi Maposah-Correspondent
There is a Shona saying; “Kurumwa nechekuchera” loosely translated means that one has been bitten by the very thing that one sought or was digging for.
This saying was developed when people used to dig for so many things that could turn out to be relish. Such things include edible crickets and mice.
It means that what a person can look for or stand up for can backfire.
I got a call from someone who changed this saying to: Kurumwa nechakacherwa naFadzi! ( bitten by what Fadzi has dug out) There are so many creative people in this world.
So I asked her what I had done so that I could have my name added to a very popular saying.
She referred me to a trip that I shared when I used public transport and I had been particular that some women were complaining of fellows who were taking too long in the toilet.
Still I did not get why my name had been added to a saying.
She was ready to specify why I deserved to have my name attached to the saying. Patient and curious as I am, I gave her an opportunity to say what she had to say without having to rush.
So she said that I had advocated that women should not be hurried when in the ablution facilities because the feminine species have many issues that may require their attention and detail in that particular space.
That I advocate for such I did not dispute but still in my mind I was wondering where this was taking us. Where was the link?
So she shared her story.
She said when I wrote that story, she had been ecstatic to have something to share with her family so they could read for themselves the importance of ‘quality time in the ablution facilities.’
She said initially she had left the newspaper lying around the house so that the family members could ‘stumble’ upon it and read for their benefit.
She laughed as she shared that it was like her family members were visually impaired as none of them seemed to see the newspaper so they could read.
When that did not happen, she tried opening the newspaper to the features section and that did not work either. Being menopausal, she was not impressed and then became moody and sulked.
The family members were either too occupied in their own lives or they just chose to ignore her and her moods.
When moods did not work, she decided that she needed to communicate openly with her family members.
She started off badly though almost attacking the family members that they stood to miss out on many things that were happening in the world because they did not read newspapers.
She made me laugh when she said it was like she was running an advertisement or promotion for The Herald and said when she had finished she had thought of invoicing the national daily newspaper!
While the family members were trying to figure out what had happened to her, she went on and in the process, she waved the newspaper.
It was her second son, who was the first to pick that whatever had triggered the newspaper lesson had to be in the paper that his mother was waving.
The spouse could only look and wonder whether the decline in the hormones was affecting his partner in ways that made her wave newspapers and lecture the family….
The son reached out for the paper and stated they would read the newspaper as a family but wondered if her mother was referring to a specific article.
Quickly the mother called out the page and asked them to look for a correspondent in spectacles in a floral dress.
She said her husband did not say anything but joined the sons, daughter and niece as they walked out to the garden. She watched from the window as the others sat down while the son read the article.
There was a discussion after the article was read. She could not pick what they said.
After that they passed the newspaper and then went their different ways.
Later she was to notice that when she was in the bathroom, the family allowed her ‘time’ with no disturbance.
What then made her add my name to the saying is that she experienced bouts of constipation and none of the family members seemed to notice.
She would be in the bathroom for a long time while the bowel movement did not happen and no one would check on her.
She had asked for time, undisturbed time in the bathroom and she not only got that, but constipation too and no one to check on her.
She said after several unsuccessful bowel movements she did not call all family members but approached her spouse and started telling him that she wanted him to check on her if she was taking too long in the bathroom.
As he looked at her in total bewilderment she explained that menopause caused constipation in some women and that she had been struggling.
His eyes communicated that he was confused. But as an act of love at dinner time he asked the girls to dish more vegetables for her.
As they handed her a vegetable loaded plate, she hoped that the vegetables would relieve the constipation and is still in the process of planning a family discussion that would assist all members regarding menopause. Consider the ages of your family members, reach out and support! Menopause needs support and a lot of patience too!
Online Reporter