Every time a client says, "I don't know who I am anymore,"
Every time a client says, "I don't know who I am anymore," I think of her.
She turns 100 years old today.
And I've been reflecting on her legacy - and what it really means to KEEP SHOWING UP when everything around you keeps shifting.
My Grandma - my Dadima - has re-defined her identity many times. And not always because she chose to. But because it was what life asked of her. Over and over.
It inspires me. And I hope it'll inspire you too. So in celebration of Dadima's 100th birthday, here are a few life lessons from her story:
Dadima was born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in 1925. She was smart, inquisitive - she loved school, especially math. But she was pulled out in Grade 5 to help at home. That early end to her education was one of her greatest regrets - and later became one of her biggest motivations.
When Dadima married, she moved to the island of Mafia (no joke...her nickname continues to be 'Mama Mafia' to this day...). Mafia was a remote, rural place off the coast of Zanzibar and it lacked a good school for her kids.
So Dadima sent them to Dar es Salaam to study, where they lived with relatives for a few years... But Dadima didn't want to parent from a distance. So after giving birth to her youngest son, she moved again - this time back to Dar.
And she made sure that every single one of her kids - boys and girls alike - studied hard.
LESSON 1: JUST BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T GET TO FINISH YOUR OWN STORY, DOESN'T MEAN IT ENDS THERE.
My grandfather - my Dadabapa - stayed behind in Mafia to manage the business. But it was struggling, so Dadima opened up a new shop in the Kariakoo neighbourhood of Dar es Salaam.
Dadima ran the shop. Raised her children. Managed on her own.
When a man walked into her shop and pointed a gun at her face, she told him off so severely that he ran out the shop without taking a thing.
When neighbours were arrested after Independence, she was the one called to help them out.
LESSON 2: YOU CAN HAVE IMPACT, EVEN WHEN LIFE THROWS YOU LEMONS.
At 49, Dadima made her biggest move yet.
She left behind her business and everything familiar to immigrate to Canada.
A new country. A new language. No job. No business. No roadmap.
Dadima never earned an income again. But she took the bus across town to find cheap flour and butter. She cooked food to bring to the Ismaili Jamatkhana. She volunteered. She anchored her family. She made herself useful.
She kept showing up.
LESSON 3: CHANGE DOESN'T JUST ASK US TO ADAPT - IT ASKS US TO KEEP SHOWING UP WITH PURPOSE, EVEN WHEN THE PURPOSE KEEPS SHIFTING.
Dadima has lived through empire and independence.
Through motherhood and migration.
Through owning a business and losing it all.
And every time, she found a way to keep going - and to keep giving.
Happy birthday, Dadima.
You are the blueprint.
----
If you’re in a season of transition - between roles, identities, or definitions of purpose - I’d be honoured to support you. Just message me.
