Life, seasoned with perspective.
“A simple mistake becomes a quiet lesson about choices, consequences, and personal growth. It reflects on how owning our missteps can lead to deeper wisdom and a clearer path forward.”
This past weekend, I made a mistake.
It was Valentine’s Day. The Nairobi sun was unforgiving, the kind of heat that makes even simple movement feel like hard work. I was preparing to travel out of town and, without checking, I assumed the destination would be hotter than the city. For the record, that was not the mistake.
With the help of the security guard, I packed a few delicate items I had long intended to move. Within minutes, I was on the road.
I love road trips. They give me space to think. Beyond the excitement of seeing family after a long week, the drive becomes a quiet therapy session. I replay the past few days, negotiate with my thoughts, wrestle with difficult decisions, and begin to feel lighter before I even arrive. Many times, I am already half healed by the time I reach my destination.
That afternoon, the highway was clear. No traffic. No pressure. Just open road and space to breathe. Gradually, the harsh Nairobi heat softened into an unexpected coolness. I switched off the air conditioner and rolled down the windows, letting the breeze hit my face.
A few kilometers later, the weather shifted again. Dark clouds gathered. Rain threatened. My heart skipped. Everything I had placed on the open truck bed was now at risk. If the rain came down hard, the loss would be real.
Like many Kenyans would, I pressed harder on the accelerator, hoping to find shelter ahead. Somewhere to wait. Somewhere to buy a cover. Anywhere to beat the rain.
Then the road stopped.
A long line of vehicles stretched ahead, motionless. An accident. Overlapping cars on both sides. Confusion. Delay. The kind of gridlock that tests both patience and character.
That is when I made the mistake.
I noticed a few vehicles leaving the highway and cutting through a narrow forest path to bypass the accident. My mind raced. I thought about the rain. I thought about my cargo. In one quick decision, I followed them.
The path was rough and uncomfortable, but in my head I kept repeating a dangerous sentence: the end justifies the means.
About ten minutes later, we approached the exit back onto the highway. At that exact moment, police officers arrived. Their priority was clear. Restore order. Open the highway. Stop those of us who had taken the illegal shortcut.
We waited in silence as light rain turned into short bursts of heavier drizzle. One car ahead of me was released. Then another pause. About twenty minutes later, the officer pointed in our direction and allowed us to exit.
I drove past slowly, rolled down the window, and thanked him.
I was not angry. I knew I was wrong. The remorse was quiet but real.
Let us talk about mistakes for a moment.
Every human being makes them. I once read a book that encouraged mistakes, arguing that a life lived too carefully eventually stops feeling like life at all. How else do we learn if we never get anything wrong?
There was even an old detergent advertisement with a bold message: dirt is good. Children were encouraged to play freely, even if it meant getting messy, because growth often lives inside imperfection.
That traffic incident was never really about the road.
The real story was the lesson inside it.
Avoid shortcuts.
Mistakes are not failure. They are part of learning, growth, and maturity. Age does not cancel error. Even adults get it wrong.
What matters is not the mistake itself, but the response that follows. Denial. Excuses. Blame. Refusal to change. That is where real danger lies.
Acceptance brings peace.
Accountability builds character.
Growth begins where excuses end.
Life is a classroom without walls. Mistakes appear everywhere. Skipping class without a reason. Exaggerating skills in a job interview. Chasing investments that promise impossible returns. Trusting the wrong friends. Choosing comfort over truth.
The list is endless.
One truth remains constant. Mistakes do not define you. Refusing to learn from them does.
After rejoining the highway, I quietly questioned myself. What exactly was I doing? Why rush? Why risk integrity for convenience?
Then something unexpected happened.
The rain stopped.
The rest of the journey became calm, smooth, even enjoyable. Nothing I carried was damaged. I arrived home safely, with both my belongings and my lesson intact.
Somewhere along that road, a simple truth settled in my heart.
Sometimes the penalty for a mistake is small.
But the wisdom it leaves behind is priceless.
In the end, the goal is not to live without mistakes.
The goal is to grow beyond them.
About the Author:
Kibisu Mulanda is a media executive and strategic communicator with over 20 years of experience in television, NGO storytelling, and youth-focused content. He is the Acting Head of Switch Media Ltd and teaches media at the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication (KIMC). A Certified SIYB Trainer, he blends storytelling with strategy to drive social impact.
About the Author
