What story will you tell after National Lockdown?
Some years ago, I heard a story about the Sotho words “Tonki le Pere”, meaning donkey and horse.
The story tells us that many children from less fortunate communities did not go to school because they did not have the right shoes. There were also children from the same community, that despite the circumstances that were beyond their control, made the choice to go to school even if they had to wear two different shoes or even a pair of shoes not of the same size. They were teased in their communities for being the “Tonki le Pere” children.
The moral of the story is that many of these Tonki Le Pere’s became the children that stood out later in life because they made the right choices and proudly passed their grades to create a better future for themselves.
This story reminds me about the impact of current events that is also largely beyond our control and the choices we get to make every day.
What choices will you make today that you will be glad you made? Will you be proud at the end of each day about the choices you made? These choices will shape your future.
One of the choices I am going to make at the start of each day is to be a “Tonki Le Pere”. I will wear two different looking shoes to remind me during the day that in everything I do, I have a choice and that my choice will shape my future.
I want to have many proud “Tonki Le Pere” stories to share after National Lockdown that will shape my future for the better.
Stand Up, Stand Out, Step Up
