At 49 years young (and a little bit of change) and on the cusp of a “New Year,” I’ve reached a point where I walk a fine line between youthful nostalgia and stark reality. The childhood I’ve had was pretty great. Despite various growing pains and some issues I’ve had to process and work through, and still working through to be honest, being surrounded by comic books, toys, cartoons, and all sorts of fun things makes for good memories.
When I think of my youth, I believed that 1988 was that year that “everything clicked.” That was the year when everything started to come together, the building blocks, my foundational year. In reality, I’ve discovered that 1986 is truly “The Genesis” of who Kofi Jamal would become. Not to dismiss the years before, they meant something and I can make the case that 1984, when I was 9 and 10 years young, was more important. It’s just that in my mind, 1986 is when the cement dried and I began to build, for better or worse, into who I am today.
I’m going to look back at 1986 through 1988, seeing how those years came to make the Kofi Jamal that was, is now, and hopefully will come to the future. This is the “middle school era” and when I developed into me. As fun and sometimes awkward as it was. At first I will speak on what moves me that day. But I will begin to talk about key moments and situations. Often bouncing back and forth through the years.
Disclaimer, there was a time I didn’t believe I’d make it this far. I couldn’t see a future that far and at times, I didn’t know if I would make it. This is to say there will be moments of reflection that will not be particularly fun and happy. Never lying to myself, I’ll expose my life for what it was. So if you are expecting some “always joyful romp,” it’s ok if you move elsewhere. I will, however, enjoy any company that decides to stick around. And now, let’s begin.