Seasons of Change

WHY DO PEOPLE CHANGE?

People Change in Four Different Seasons: Which season of change are you in?

People Change when they are hurt enough, that they have to

People Change when they see enough, that they are inspired to

People Change when they learn enough, that they want to

People Change when they receive enough, that they are able to

#InstaWisdom #InstaQuotes #GramInspiration #GramSmarts

#TheSidewalkProphet #MorningMusings #Leadership #InspiredWisdom

"FATHERS: ORDINARY PEOPLE WHO DO EXTRAORDINARY THINGS."!

That is my definition of a #Hero and that's the mighty role that Fathers play every day! Many times, they are completely unrecognized and unrewarded in their sacrificial efforts but today is different. Let me try and right that wrong by recognizing the one man who has probably had the largest impact on my life. My Father Hezron Murunga. A man like no other.

These days we call him #Kuka or simply #Mzee because he has like 16 Grandkids so Dad alone doesn't quite cut the mustard. I have grown up in many ways to become exactly like him. Strong-willed, organized, principled, and a leader of men. Mzee doesn't know his birthday because as young boys ... he and his brother the late #HabilyMusundi set fire to their house... in a boyhood prank gone wrong and burnt all their records. But, just to clarify, the house did not burn down (thanks to some quick action from the neighbors) but the records did. So his ID just reads 1945. That would make him 79 this year. His actual birth year is 1943 and this he insists on categorically. When he was recruited into the Military way back when... the Staff Sergent recording vital data refused to believe that he was born in 1943 and since the fire episode had robbed him of the evidence to prove his rightful age, 1945 became his new birth age because the Queen's Army said so. Remember, It was not yet Uhuru in those days.

Hezron Ambundo Murunga (HAM) lost his mother young, in fact so young that he can barely remember her. Musundi and Murunga were essentially brought up by their elder siblings #SamuelAmundo and #NashonAmbundo together with their Step Mom #KukhuTeresina! So theirs must have been an eventful childhood, spent herding cows and getting into all manner of mischief.... burned records... again being evidence of loutish boy behavior. Hehehehehe... But I digress. I am trying to give you context into why I think my Dad became the man that he is today.

My Dad is a Jocular fellow. If you think that I have a loud distinct laughter that comes from deep within, then you haven't met my Dad... because he is the SI unit of loud laughter. If you are in Nairobi and he laughs in Kiambu... you will hear him :-)I get all my charisma from him but he can be a bully if you let him... though, that is his way of testing your belief systems. My brother David Sumba Murunga has made this observation... if you go to him with an idea, he will first shoot it down, regardless of its merits. David opines that by doing that he makes you think hard about the merits and demerits of your case. But more importantly, he makes you believe in what you are pitching to him. If you can find the courage to bring that idea back to his scrutiny after it has been shot down, then you will get the required audience. His logic is simple... if you do not believe enough in this thing to stand with it against me, your father, then you will have no chance in the real world because it is much tougher out there. That nugget of wisdom has served me well to date. I can never take a half-baked idea to him... I will get devoured. And if you have ever worked with me or for me, you understand now perhaps why I am a hard taskmaster. It is rooted in my DNA. Mediocrity will not be tolerated. Add to that his Military training and you can begin to see the makings of a man that is a cut above the rest. A man of substance.

My Dad trained at Sandhurst Military College in the UK in the same Cohort as Saddam Hussein. Imagine that. His graduating class photo has them both in it. The impact of the Imperial British Empire was far-reaching. He still shaves each day without fail and cannot abide the fact that I have now decided to grow a beard... But he recognizes that we are now both men and so we operate in the realms of an uneasy truce. Hehehehehe... kila mtu akae kwa lane yake.

I spend a lot of time with him nowadays as one of his primary caregivers though He still insists that he is taking care of me because I am in his house but that is far from the case (story for another day). He has mellowed in his Sunset years, especially after losing Mom to Cancer. If ever I saw my dad unmoored, that was the time. But we were there for him… his 5 children rallied to his side and executed her departing rights with military precision. We mobilized all our networks to his aid and in a mighty show of force the Murunga name stood tall and a Legacy moment was created as three generations bid farewell to our Matriarch. If my Dad was the Organizer being the Logistician that he is… My mother was the mobilizer. Everything in this home ran through her and even now 5 years later, I can still feel the imprint of her voice if I try to do something that she would not approve of. But I also realize that she would expect me to chart my own course. So Dad may still be paying those bills that give him a semblance of control, but I am in charge of this space now.

I run his household, organize his meals and from time to time we share a quiet tipple of brandy or whisky either at home or in the Officers' Mess at Kahawa. We have become peers and I have been telling him lately that we are about to permanently retire him to holidays and playing with the grandkids. He laughs at the thought and says never!!! And the earth shakes at his massive declaration… but Father time has no brakes, it sneaks up on you and slowly takes away your independence. I gather that for a man like him that must be the hardest part. To lose control of your physical capacity and your mental sharpness and acuity as age creeps in. I want to tell him not to worry too much about us all, He has done more than any father should and he still continues to stand in the gap for us, allowing us the luxury of some errant behavior because he is the immovable shield that continues to sustain us all and protects us against all harm.

But in the same breath, I say this… a Leader is never bequeathed a spot at the high table, that place must be taken by decisive action. So while I am not exactly putting you out to pasture… I am saying we are moving you up to Chairman of the Board. Executive functions can no longer be your forte. That role has now passed on to us the children that you have spent a lifetime raising. It has been a true labor of love and now allow us dear father to offer you some respite from the everyday grind. We will be fine, We will look out for each other just the way you taught us and we will do the same for our extended family and the community like you and Mama always did. The Murunga name will live on. On Friday you saw evidence of it as my son, your namesake graduated as part of the Year 13 Class at Brookehouse. The next generation is here… Esther is 16, Zawadi is 17, David is 17, Joshua is 17, Ronnie is 18, Andrew is 18, Maria is 19, Eugene and Wesley are in their Mid-Twenties and they are all rearing to go. Chill now and enjoy the fruits of your labor. You deserve it. HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

So please join me in wishing #TheGeneral A wonderful Father's Day! Today and every day following this one. Please tag him otherwise he may not see the salaams... This is the handle Hezron Murunga If you know the way home and can visit him, please pop-in, the Mzee doesn't have many raos these days. You'll find him in good form just chilling and shooting the breeze. Heheheheheheheheheh!!!! Let my laughter also be heard in Nairobi from Kiambu County. This is #TheSidewalkProphet signing off. ?

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