Navigating Unpredictable Rivers of Life

It was an ordinary day, the air heavy with the earthy smell of rain that had just fallen. Inside our maths class, the atmosphere was calm when an unexpected knock at the door called our teacher away. After a brief absence, our teacher (who happened to be our English teacher, Afrikaans, Sesotho, and the principal of the school) returned with urgency painted on his face. He told us to pack up and go because he was just informed that the river is growing and is likely to overflow soon. The message was clear: We must gather our things without delay and be on the other side of a key bridge along our route.

With a sense of urgency, we all ran home, a distance of about 10 km from school, the older ones leading the way. We soon got to the bridge, and as fate would have it, a small group of us found ourselves hesitating at the threshold of a precarious decision - to wait or to brave the rising waters. In that fleeting moment, I made a choice fuelled by determination and perhaps a hint of recklessness. In a moment of panic, I made the decision to try my luck despite the odds.

Toward the end of my crossing, I lost my footing and was swept over and down a short distance that felt like eternity. In a moment of luck, I grabbed a pillar from the bridge and made my way to the other side. The bridge stood silent and indifferent, a silent witness to the narrow escape from disaster that had unfolded beneath its shadow.

The rest of our walk bore the silence of reflection, whereas the gravitas of what could have been loomed large over us. The weight of what could have been solidified a resolve within me that such an experience should never be an accepted part of life; a commitment that my kids will never have to go through that.

Fate, it seems, has a way of guiding us through our personal floods, offering us pillars of strength when we least expect them. On that day, the pillar was literal, granting me safe passage and the realisation that no obstacle should stand in the way of my dreams.

Life’s unpredictability, much like the ebb and flow of a river, holds the power to both create and destroy. But as I learned on that fateful day, it is through these challenges that we learn the true measure of our resilience, forge our paths, and determine the impact we want to make in the world. Just as I found my pillar of salvation in the surging waters, we can all find our strength amidst life's tribulations, illuminating our paths and shaping our destinies with unwavering resolve and an indomitable spirit. Life, in all its unpredictability, beckons us to be the architects of our fate, to rise above every swell, to forge ahead, and to build a better future for those who follow.