By Grace Ancillar

For the longest time especially in those moments when my mother would shove me to bed in the middle of the coolest TV drama series of our time I would look back at her and scream “ Kana ndakura ndenge ndakurara pandoda (when I grow up I will sleep when I want) but I played myself. Listen to your elders people because they are a gift that keeps on giving (take a blog reading pause and hug your elders NOW). I wish they had warned me or they did and I never listened because I am no different from that donkey in SHREK (laugh out loud) but this is what I learned as I adult that my parents should have warned me (really loud) about or wrote it down because just maybe I would have read it and listened.

Sleeping is a big deal

I have had days that I am half-awake and running on doughnuts and coffee with a mid-coffee break of a cup of green tea because I am healthy and care about my body. Now more than ever I want to time travel and go back to my childhood days and take nap after nap because now sleeping continuously for six hours is a dream come true (or is it me). There was a time when I would set an alarm but now I just jolt out of bed because uhmm body is used to not sleeping. Can I confess while I am still on a roll? I am jealous of my nephew who knocks out for a good nine hours.

Sometimes my coffee mug has more than coffee

Ever had a bad day that forces you to cry unwillingly because it’s that bad? Yep, I have had those days. Sometimes after a crappy day I like to walk around with my Gilmore Girls mug filled with Olivia Pope’s favourite beverage of choice because self-care is important. Anyone else thinks those forced afternoon naps were important? Like we could use an hour or two of nap self-care. I really played myself when I missed those self-care moments.

I should have taken physical education class seriously

Sometimes I imagine that my belly fat is a punishment for all those moments I was too lazy to play sport in school because I didn’t want my crush to see how far my legs would go. I even regret the girl I asked to switch with me and run in our house’s hurdles race because she is still rocking abs and I struggle to do planks for a minute not forgetting how many times I have dodged people that invite me to run marathons. If I could go back I would give my all in physical education classes because if I had I would be fit and all.

Piggy banks were a lesson in discipline

I thought my mama didn’t want me to thrive as a child because I was rich but couldn’t use my candy money because nobody would open my piggy bank like nobody till my strong brother devised a plan to break down his. I should have paid attention to that lesson because now that I am an adult and have broke moments I just want an adult piggy bank (is that even a terrible idea) because I need to keep some money for emergencies and that vacation that I have been meaning to go.

Veggies were not my enemy

I really owe my dog Spider an apology for all the broccoli and spinach I threw his way because I preferred my mashed potatoes and meat minus the veggies. Mama was right, veggies are rad and good for me.

What do you regret not taking serious growing up?