“When I thought I had everything, I lost it all” – Kanye West (Welcome To The Jungle)

This past week, Matthew .A. Cherry’s Hair Love won an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.

It follows the story of a man who must do his daughter’s hair for the first time because his wife is hospitalized.

The common themes around black centric movies are usually themes of love, rags to riches, strength in adversity and or black excellence, this doesn’t fall far from the tree, yet I think there’s a greater scope on here.

Today is exactly 3 weeks since Kobe Bryant passed away.

I remember tossing and turning all through that Sunday night. Had a very important appointment the next day yet I couldn’t sleep. I was beyond devastated.

It just felt so unreal.

Hair Love talks about a father’s unalloyed love for his daughter. Who better than Kobe could exemplify that?

It talks about responsibility and stepping up to the occasion. Mamba Mentality!

It talks about acceptance.

When people talk about acceptance, they believe it’s about throwing in the towel.
Wrong!

Acceptance is an honest and brutal assessment of yourself, your life, situation and circumstances, strengths and weaknesses, and a note to self to strive harder to do better wherever you can.

Kobe’s death has been one of the hardest things to accept. For his fans, basketball aficionados, black people. I can’t imagine what it’s like for his family.

Kobe went from one of the most beloved athletes of his generation to one the most detested and then back to being loved again.

The man fell, but he picked himself up every single time.

From court cases to family problems to team issues to hair loss, the man saw it all.
And somehow, he still had the widest smile and the craziest work ethic.

I’ve fought with myself over putting up a Kobe Bryant post. I guess I lost. This is me finally accepting.

I’ve had to fight loss, heartbreak, disappointment, a receding hairline, career choices and whatnot. Lost most of these battles. But this is me accepting the loss of a battle for ultimate victory at war.

What have you lost recently and it’s been so hard to accept?

Share your thoughts with me.

PS: I’ve been reading Eric Barker’s Barking Up The Wrong Tree. I’m tempted to say it has a Malcolm Gladwell feel to it. Wonderful read so far.

• Life
• Self Development