Be Brave, Not Perfect

You haven’t heard from me in a while. 2025 began with personal challenges for my family and close friends. One friend lost his brother, another underwent surgery, and my husband and I buried a loved one. These losses weigh heavily on us, but they also remind us of the importance of connection—what makes life truly meaningful.

I refuse to let frustration or anger obscure the truth. Like many, I’m frustrated. Money and power corrupt our systems, but they cannot corrupt our spirit or our connections with one another.

I’ve lived the truth of choosing courage. I fled my home country because I couldn’t sit silently in the face of injustice. Choosing bravery over silence wasn’t easy, but it was necessary. That choice is available to all of us—not just in defining moments but in the small, everyday acts of courage.

A recent experience at Newark Airport reminded me of this. My husband and I were passing time during a flight delay, playing a game where we create stories about people around us. As boarding began, I noticed a man who looked familiar. Something in me said I knew him, but I couldn’t place where.

I turned to my husband, who dismissed it, but I couldn’t shake the feeling. Summoning courage, I asked, “Excuse me, sir, do you live on the UWS?”

He smiled. “Are you Edafe?” he asked. Turns out, we’d met at a migration dinner. We laughed, introducing our spouses and sharing memories.

It struck me later: the encounter could have gone differently. He might have said, “Sorry, I don’t know you,” and that would’ve been it.

We live in a world where we can choose to be brave—where a simple, imperfect connection doesn’t need to feel weird or wrong. Bravery doesn’t require permission, and it’s worth trying, even if it doesn’t always land perfectly.

That’s why I sign my personal emails, Be brave, not perfect.

Welcome to 2025.