At the March on Washington Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr. mentioned the “fierce urgency of now” in regards to our divided nation moving
forward together, to make things better. While there’s been some progress,
there’s still lots of work that needs to be done. The concept of the “fierce
urgency of now” is something that occupies my mind often. When I wake up,
I’m already in an urgent state of mind. I believe that time is valuable and
precious, and shouldn’t be wasted, which is why I can’t understand why some
people waste time. I hate wasting time and I certainly don’t enjoy having my
time wasted, which is why one of my biggest pet peeves is lateness. I
understand that things happen, and I can even understand running five minutes
behind, but if someone continually makes lateness a habit, I get annoyed;
especially if we’ve made plans in advance. I’ve been late before, but I’m a
prompt person – most, if not all of the time. I also recognize that time stops
for no one. This is why I’m urgent about pursuing opportunities, chasing my
dreams, following up with people who’ve contacted me, and making moves.
Everything I want is forward, and I know if I’m going to grab hold of what I
want, it’s going to require me to be urgent and ready to go, or else the opportunities
and especially the time, will pass me by. I believe that’s the fierce urgency
of now. Someday, one day, or waiting until you feel
like doing things, or taking care of something, may cost you opportunities
you might not get, if you’re being slothful. Be productive, take breaks when
you need to, and then get going. What are you going to do with the time you
have left?
About a year ago, I had a dream my dad wanted to talk to our family about something serious. I wasn’t sure what he wanted to discuss, but I knew it was something I needed to prepare myself for. Around the time after I had this dream, I remember stopping by my parents place and sensing something was going on that they weren’t telling me. I tried to dismiss what I’d been feeling, but I couldn’t shake it. Something serious was happening. As I returned to my home after visiting them one day, I was in my kitchen washing dishes when a heaviness hit my heart like nothing I’d ever felt before. Something’s wrong with dad. That’s what that dream was about. God, what’s going on? As I continued washing dishes, I started crying and praying. Then in mid-spring, my dad held an unexpected family meeting that would change all our lives forever. He hesitated at first, and as his voice started cracking and he started crying, he said, “Well, I wanted to talk to ya’ll to tell you that I have kidney disea...