“Indecision is like the stepchild: if he doesn’t wash his hands, he is called dirty; if he does, he is wasting the water.”

I fear making decisions. I agonize over them. I always think if I wait a little longer, the perfect choice will be made clear to me. I think I can outthink my own damn self. The problem is that the waiting does not resolve the conflict and agonizing doesn’t provide any more answers.

“If you fill your mouth with a razor, you will spit blood.”

This proverb is from Nigeria and it truly encompasses the opposite of what we see on social media. Or does it? Every day someone goes viral for putting up a video or a TikTok or a tweet roasting the hell out of someone. People get famous for being cruel.

“He who is being carried does not realize how far the town is.”

I really like this proverb. Often we imagine all of our achievements, our accomplishments, and our milestones come from either faith or our own work. It takes time to reflect on the sacrifices others have made for you in order to open up new roads. Can you imagine the long nights others toiled and walked just to deposit you at the threshold of opportunity?

“Great events may stem from words of no importance.”

I have a weakness for classic West African proverbs. My mentor, the illustrious Dr. Daniel Black, used to train me with proverbs. Driving to his favorite watering hole, Black (or Baba, as I call him), he’d just start rattling off proverbs. “Daughter, the teeth are smiling but is the heart?”