Easy-peasy, not so Breezy

Describe a risk you took that you do not regret.

Prior to being chastised by his educator for being different, this is the generous heart of my second-grade child who dedicated two hours of shooting basketballs for the Hoops for Haiti fundraiser. My children deserve so much more than what I have given them.

The occurrences in my life, like those of most individuals, are abundant and interconnected with consequences. Despite the fact that the most significant risk I’ve ever undertaken was defying EVERYONE’S counsel and embracing the role of a single mother, not once but twice. Even the fathers and my own relatives cautioned me about the perilous path I was likely to traverse—and they were not mistaken; I have indeed bitten off more than I could chew, struggling and nearly suffocating on numerous occasions. Was the journey worthwhile?

Absolutely. A resounding “Yes!” Would I embark on it today, if I were younger, in this era? Definitely not. However, not for the reasons one might assume; not because I lack faith in myself and my own principles. I never anticipated how rapidly and perilously the world would transform—for my children to navigate as independent adults. It’s been nearly two decades, and so much has evolved; I would feel remorseful, recognizing that my children are not experiencing the world I knew, but an unforeseeable reality that nobody could have predicted. In diffusing the complexities of the world, they may appear trivial, but in the grand scheme of things? No. My children are my greatest and most selfish gift I’ve ever given myself.