Brighten the Day
Stepping out of my house, I enjoy the crisp morning air before the sun’s heat burns it away. I hear the shouts of laughter, crowing of roosters, and the banging of pots and pans as my fellow Kenyans begin their day, bright and early. When I return from my lunch hour, my belly full of rice, beans, and chapati (fried tortillas, yum!) I stop by my house to collect my things before returning to the hospital. I’ll dodge a soccer ball and laugh as the kids living in my row of houses shout my name and come running to me. Their sweet little voices surrounding me, conversing in Swahili, is enough to brighten my day. These precious kids are always in play mode, and I’ll often find their shoes, bags, toys, and sweaters in my yard and on my front porch. When I enter my house, they wait impatiently on my doorstep, banging on my door and calling for me. A patient smiles and hands me their baby, wanting to take a photo of me holding their little one. I rub their fuzzy, curly hair and grin at the