Tuesday, November 23, 2010

What The Griot Said....



A few weeks ago, my Sudanese grandmother read my fortune. It's a tradition, also popular in Turkish heritage, where an elder reads the remaining coffee grains that have dried along the cup (see image below).

I kid you not my friend, every time we do our coffee
drinking/fortune reading tradition I always expect her to say, "You'll be married in 3 years and have babies," right before concluding, "Because I want to see this before I die." Of course this gets a big eye roll and a "Haboba!" (Grandma) from me. On the contrary, she was SPOT ON. She told me everything about my current life while I just waited for her to slip up- but she never did. Wow. It's amazing because of what she told me was to come. She said that after this moment of now passes all will be white. The uncertainty, discontentment, shell-shock- gone. And the next step will be clear for me. I suppose to you this may sound vague or misleading, but I assure you, my friend, it was oxygen.

photo courtesy