My Mother, My Dragon

Inspiration is the process of being mentally stimulated to do something, especially something creative. It's more like a fuel that drives us to innovate and create something meaningful. Everybody has a source of inspiration or something that inspires them; for me, my source of inspiration is my mom.

Having grown up in a family of 10 where the mother is the breadwinner isn't something to brag about or boast about. Watching your mother struggle each day to make ends meet and also to provide shelter for you and your siblings, and knowing that you can't be of help in any way, is disheartening and heartbreaking.

Life wasn't always like this for her; she was a hardworking and industrious woman. She wasn't born with a silver spoon, so she tried making one herself. Let's quickly talk about her life and how she grew up.

Florence was born in the early nineties, and she was the first of four children and the first daughter. She came from a poor family where the parents are farmers and solely depend on what they cultivate for feeding and as a means of livelihood. She struggled to go to school even though there weren't enough school fees for her and her siblings; she had to drop out at some point to get work so she could assist her parents and siblings. Her father never believed in female education, so he agreed to her suggestion of dropping out of school. After all, there is a saying that "a woman's education ends in the kitchen." She struggled with farm work and chores as a girl, as a first child, and as a first daughter. Her mom got sick at some point in her life after giving birth to their last child, and the illness made her bedridden for years, which made my mom (Florence) take up the role of a mom. Life got harder and tougher; her dad was mentally stressed, coupled with the fact that his wife was also bedridden. He started drinking and soon started neglecting his duties as a father, which led to my mom playing both the role of a father and a mother to her siblings. As she approached 18, she was married off to a man who had money in order to support the family. She decided to do that as it would help her family, and the man also promised to send her to school. That was when she got married to my father, and that was the beginning of her suffering. Meanwhile, I forgot to mention that her mom died a few years ago, before she turned 18. Her brothers were sent as apprentices to work for their father's uncle, who resided in a different city, leaving only my mom and her little sister. After marriage, my mom realized that she wasn't going to be sent to school as she was told; rather, she was made a child-bearing machine at a tender age. She continued with farm work in the village, where she was left by her husband, who had traveled to the city; she was to look after her mother-in-law and father-in-law too. She took her little sister with her to assist her and also worked hard in order to send her little sister to school, as she had given up on schooling after having her first child, which was me. Business wasn't going well for my dad in the city, so he came down to the village the year after to continue his business, and that was how my seven other siblings came into the picture. I watched my mom struggle for years to train us as my dad couldn't continue his business again; at some point, I had to help out in any way that I could, from hawking fruits to hawking farm products at the market while taking care of younger ones too. At some point, I asked why life was so unfair to me and my family. I blame God sometimes, and each time I do, my mom will always shun me to stop and believe that God will surely bless us. To the glory of God, my mom's sister got married to a rich man after school and has been assisting us since then. Whatever I do, I never forget where I come from and who inspires me to do better; my mom has been my solid rock and my support, so how can I ever forget her struggles in order to provide for me and my siblings? A dragon is a powerful creature in mythology that guards treasure from intruders with their ability to breathe fire. My mom has safely guarded us (her treasures) from the evil ones and preying eyes waiting to devour us because of our condition with her prayers, strength, hard work, and words of wisdom. I don't think I need another inspiration to work harder or to better myself other than her, and I'm not scared of what lies before or beyond me because I have a dragon beside me that will protect and keep me safe at all times.