Have you ever been asked such a question?

We started a course on 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey today and this was a question that I had to answer.

Imagine you could invite to dinner four or five people who have influenced you the most-past and present- and all are sitting at the table with you. Whom would you invite and what attributes or qualities do you admire in them.

From the top of my head I immediately envisioned having the following people.

• My Mom: She raised two daughters on her own, raised four more daughters, a son and she doesn’t believe in running out options. There’s always a way and there’s nothing like not enough love to go around.
• Chinua Achebe: He’s the first Writer from West Africa whose writing challenged me to write authentic characters because his characters did not shy away from speaking Pidgin. I do wish I met him in this life. I’d definitely have him sit on my dinner table and treat him to some ugali, osuga and fish!
• Mrs. Benta Owino: She was the teacher who taught me how to read. I was in class three. Every morning, she would hand me a newspaper and tell me to read her an article and I looked forward to sitting beside daily and doing this. She passed away when I was in class Seven. I admire her resolve that “a good vocabulary will stop you from shouting in the village market.”
• Michelle Obama: She doesn’t shy away from talking about the things that weigh women and young girls down and she’s for girls getting an education and pushing limits, exceeding limits and inspiring others.

• Prof.Wangari Maathai : I admire her strength, conviction in the importance of taking care of our environment and her unwavering determination in doing something about it. She passed away but I am glad I met her once when I was still on campus and she did not mince her words when it came to protecting our forests and vegetation. I was impressed by her extensive knowledge on the marine life too.

If you were asked the same question, whom would you invite to dinner and what qualities do they possess that’d you would love to explore?