Defining Life

When I was 16 years old, like most sixteen year olds, I was ready to drive. My permit was my top goal of the year. My best friend had just gotten hers, and she and I were always keeping each other on our toes. So I, like most teenagers, scanned the manual and headed out to take the test. I failed. TWICE. After the second failed attempt, I cried all the way back to the car, and all the way to the car my mother yelled. She was tired of me. She told me that she wouldn’t bring me back until I studied. I yelled back, “I did!” And in front of my best friend, my mother told me about myself.

“You think you know everything. So many things in life came easy for you, so you’ve gotten lazy. Well Shawntika, you do not know the laws of the road so the only way you will pass the test is if you study. You have too much pride. You’re so puffed up and if you don’t humble yourself soon, God is going to deal with you.”

She was right. My mother would give me anything I asked for. And I was smart. If you showed me something once you’d never have to show me again. At 16 I could comprehend things that most could not, and at some point, I became filled with pride. But that day, walking out of the DMV on Branch Avenue, I changed. The things my mother said to me molded me. Does that mean I stopped being prideful? No way. I still struggled, and she was right, God would have to humble me. But when it happened, I knew what was happening. I understood what God was doing and why.

Why am I sharing this embarrassing story?

Today, I sat across the table from my mom explaining to her that I think my nephew is lazy because he’s so smart and he never has to exert much energy to learn things. My sister, his mother, was on the phone, and I told her the story about the day at the DMV when my mother embarrassed me in front of my best friend. :-) When I finished the story my mother looked at me and said, “how do you remember that?” I could have told her I remembered because my memory is almost that of a sponge when I’m paying attention (pride). Instead, I looked back at her and said, “because I haven’t been the same since.”

That is exactly what my blog is all about. The moments that stand out when you look back over your life. Everyone has those life-defining moments, and as long as we are living, we are changing, so we are always having life-defining moments. From the teachers that believed in us, to the friends that are there for us, and the people that have hurt us. Every moment matters. This won’t just be about my moments, I want to hear about your moments too. Let’s keep growing, changing, and defining together.