There are many things that differentiate humans from all other forms  of life on this planet. The most obvious are heightened intelligence, advanced communication, etc. However, one of the most intriguing characteristics of the human complex is the affinity and worth placed on inanimate objects. We cherish things in our lives, that may or may not hold a true monetary value, close to our hearts because they remind us of a significant point in our lives. They may represent an accomplishment, a failure, or a milestone achieved. Sometimes, things happen in our lives that reinforce our love of these worldly possessions. I had a situation occur over the weekend that would reinforce this point more that I would ever think!  So I bought a new dresser for my room. My old one collapsed and over time broke down. You all know the furniture struggle: Drawers off track, broken, left open due to convenience, etc. Well I finally got around to getting a brand new dresser and felt good to finally have that eyesore of an old dresser gone. On top of this new dresser, I placed some items that held significant value. The most precious being a ½ broken Pharaohs bust. It looks something like this just a little bigger: This damaged King Tut relic meant so much to me, because it signified part of my process to becoming a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. For someone who had a arduous and unexpected road to the greatest fraternity on the planet, this heirloom was the penultimate chapter in my quest. It broke during my probate show, on my head no less (one of the craziest/funniest stories ever). When it broke, it was symbolic. It broke, but still I stood. It was damaged, but the face of the pharaohs head was still in tact. Although the pharaohs head was bloody, it remained unbowed. That moment and that pharaohs head was a parallel to my journey throughout my lifetime, leading to that moment. The Pharaohs bust became a constant reminder to press on when the road seemed tough. It reminds me that even though I may stumble, even though I may fail, I shall rise again. This too, shall pass, as they say. As the years went on, I wouldn’t say that the pharaohs head lost significance, but with the constant grind that is life, you tend to forget the importance of items in your life. Fast forward to this past weekend. i was in my room, chilling, when I remembered that I wanted to open my drawers and let them air out. The dresser is so fresh, that some of my clothes were starting to smell like wood a little bit, and I didn’t want hat smell to permeate everything in the dresser. So I opened all the drawers and left it for a few minutes as I chilled in the room and watched TV. Now, for someone who has degrees in the sciences, i failed to realize the effect that all the weight of the open drawers would have on the dresser. there was more weight in front of the dresser now, than on top or anywhere else. So the dresser will gravitate towards the area of highest weight. Force = Mass * Acceleration, and I was negligent. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the dresser starting its descent towards the ground. I had a plate of food on my lap and was in a trance watching the latest episode of Fringe (GREAT show!), but I still had plenty of time to react. I saw the dresser, and all my precious items that were on top of the dresser, hurling towards oblivion. I had to act fast! I lunged in one motion, throwing the plate of food to the side, with no regard for my carpet, my hunger, or anything else. This was purely about survival. This was about saving my dresser and that ½ broken Pharaohs head, from irreparable damage. I moved quickly, extending my hands forward to try to correct the dressers weight and stop everything from tipping. I reached out and caught the front of the 9 drawer dresser (5 regular drawers, 4 mini drawers) as it was a 45 degree angle from the floor. This angle was good, but not good enough. All the items from the top of the drawers were too far in their descent to be saved. They flew past me, as i they were trying to avoid colliding with me, sacrificing themselves for my well being. The irony of the situation did not escape me. There was a loud crash, and the seismic force of the dresser shook the room. When the dust settled, I didn’t even want to look back, because I knew the damage was real. My mom, who was in the living room, ran in to see what happened, and she found her son, bleeding unknowingly from his legs, arms and hands, holding up 50% of a dresser, looking at her with despair and simple saying “Sorry Mom”. Then I turned around and saw the damage. Food everywhere, clothes scattered all over the floor. Broken wood and ceramics abundant. Finally I saw it: The pharaohs bust, preserved at 50%, was broken once again. I didn’t even want to find out how bad. I just held the dresser, still at a 45 degree angle, and remained at the epicenter of the destruction. it was then that the shock wore off, and I knew that this broken, seemingly worthless heirloom, meant more to me than even I thought. I started to break down. I knew that it would break again one day, but you never know when they would happen, and you would hope that it wasn’t due to negligence. I was upset with myself, for letting this symbol of my journey get damaged. I’m usually a positive person, but I was at my lowest at that point. My mom, seeing this told me “Well you can’t change it now. Don’t worry, you can fix it later. Now you have to be careful and fix the room again!” I snapped out of it immediately. I knew there was a task at hand, and I had to perform it to the best of my ability. I had to triage the damage to my room, and clean up! 20 minutes later the damage was assessed and calculated: Two broken drawers, two damaged tracks inside the drawers, one statue with its head lobbed off, and my old friend, the Pharaoh, with 25% of its head and body, broken beyond repair. I try not to live my life with regrets, but that emotion filled my soul. I couldn’t even repair the damage. It was then, that I realized the magic in the moment. The head and face of the Pharaoh remained in tact! Yes, it wasn’t as “whole” as before, but his head once again was bloody, but unbowed, just like I was in that moment, in the middle of my room, holding a dresser at a 45 degree angle, and wondering how I was so stupid for doing this to myself. I bent, but I didn’t break. I bled, but I didn’t fail. I stumbled, but I finished the race. Another life lesson embedded within an unfortunate situation. Sometimes, sh*t happens, but I look for meaning in random occurrences, because I always seek answers. Whether this happened for a reason or not, it was a great reminder to never give up, never surrender to temporary setbacks, and to always show resolve in any moment of despair. For a split second incident to teach me so much, shows the value my friend the Pharaoh had to me, and still does today. I moved the Pharaoh to my living room and put it in our display case with our other precious items to make sure this didn’t happen again. Every time I see that damaged heirloom, I will always be reminded of my past struggle and how they were overcome. We all have items that hold sentimental value. Items that mean nothing to the outside world, and everything to you. 11 years later, my friend the Pharaoh shows me that life lessons are timeless., and reminds me of everything it means to me.

Lastly, don’t forget to nominate SBM in the Black Weblog Awards. Targeted categories for us include Best Design, Best Group Blog, Best Sex and Relationship Blog, Best Lifestyle Blog, Best Blog Post Series (Please use THIS URL), and Blog of the Year. Thanks in advance for your support!