There was a day I came across a lovely little girl. I was visiting with a friend who knew her mother, and immediately took to the precious little girl. In no time she got comfortable and started chatting to me. She was in a headwrap towel, from a hair wash as I learnt from her mother. At some point she got agitated and insisted her mum remove the towel and that her hair dry and they could style it later. I was amazed at the length of her hair and commented on how long it is, and that she looks like a barbie doll. She looks at me with confusions, looked at her doll and goes on to say, “no, I cannot look like a barbie doll, because barbie dolls have long straight hair.”

I have spent much of my life looking into the lives of people I admire. I have always been one who believes in the power of learning and not making mistakes that can be avoided by learning from those that have walked the path before you. I take great pride in seeking and gathering information from people I admire. It is something I tremendously enjoy doing. However, it gave me the false impression that in taking time to learn from people and asking what the things they wish they knew when they were growing up, it would somewhat save me from making mistakes.