Rant
I don't know how many of you will resonate with this, but this is me opening my heart out.
I recently travelled back home after almost a year away the longest I've ever been away from home. During that time, my parents had moved into a new house.
We used to live in a three-room mabati house, and now they are in a house that was built for us by our community. So, honestly, whether it was a tent or anything else, I don't think I have any right to complain about its condition. I am genuinely grateful.
But while I was home, I visited a friend whose family had also moved into a newly built home. Their house was beautifully built the kind of house you'd expect to see in places like Karen or Kileleshwa. And this is in a rural town. I asked about it and was told that their older siblings had funded the construction (May God bless their source of wealth)
I don't know why, but that experience left me with a very heavy heart. It brought back that feeling you used to get when leaving home for high school—the feeling I thought I'd outgrown.
My mind has been consumed with thoughts of how I can make my parents' home better and give them a more comfortable life. One thing that has become painfully clear to me is that they don't have an unlimited amount of time with us.
And honestly, when I look at some of the decisions I've made over the past few years, they haven't exactly paved the brightest path for my future either.
I'm a fourth-year Urban Planning student, and as much as the marketability of the course is sometimes questioned, I haven't even submitted my final-year project for marking despite having had months to do so. I got an attachment opportunity, and this is now the third week since I haven't reported. At this point, I'm certain I won't be graduating this year.
I really hope this visit becomes a turning point for me.an eye opener that pushes me to change the direction I'm heading in.
The truth is, I don't have a clear plan right now. I don't know exactly how I'll get to where I want to be. But what I do know is that the desire to improve my parents' lives has become greater than most of my own personal ambitions in as much as time.is running out on them.
May Allah grant my parents long lives, good health, and the opportunity to witness and benefit from the fruits of their son's efforts.
This may just be a rant, but I'm also genuinely open to advice from anyone who has been in a similar position or has something meaningful to share.
Sometimes, all you need is someone who has walked the road before you to show you where to start.