Tyler Perry is looking back on some silver linings in his life. The media mogul shared a moving post to his Instagram, writing, “Long message but there may be something in it that blesses you today. Have a beautiful day” in the caption.
In the post, Perry recalls a visit to his old home 10 years ago, writing that while he lived there he was “so happy to have this place” and “so anxious and scared” to make rent at the end of the month. He muses about his old job at “UPS collections” while trying to make money from his plays.
“I was late on the rent every month,” he wrote in the post that contains pictures of the place. “Man, this makes me tear up.”
While he eventually made enough from his plays to backpay his rent, one day “the landlord had an eviction” notice on his door. “This is after I paid him,” Perry wrote. “I was so mad. He said I had been late too many times and I had been there too long and it was time for me to go.”
His old unit, Number, 8, became a number of significance for the writer and producer. “8 in biblical terms means a new beginning,” he wrote, sharing a picture of himself standing at his old apartment door. “I now know that I was at my new beginning. I now know that if he had let me stay there I would have never left, because I had gotten comfortable.”
“Just like stagnant water, being stagnant can kill your dreams,” he added. “I now know that you don’t get to the other side by staying comfortable.”