Gone too soon

It's strange how the death of some affects us more than others. Case in point: Marco Simoncelli

Over the weekend, this talented, exuberant and YOUNG MotoGP rider, lost his life in a terrible accident at the Malaysian Grand Prix. I was very upset, to say the least. I have even experienced nightmares for a few nights: Why?? I did not know him personally, all I knew was what I saw on TV: how he raced, how he noticably enjoyed every moment on track. How could this upset me?

I think this has happened to many of us.

For me, it just seems so unfair, he had so much talent and was really starting to make successful progress in MotoGP, just the week before he finished in 2nd place at the Australian GP. It's so unfair he did not get to see this through, who knows what he could have accomplished. It's so unfair that someone who got the opportunity to participate in something he loved with unrivalled passion, could not continue to be a shining example for the rest of us: Do what you love! It's so unfair that he did not get to grow old and enjoy the results of his hard work and successes. It's so unfair that he did not get the opportunity to have his own family, maybe teach his sons to ride (Not that I even know if he wanted one).

I guess an untimely death also plays heavily on one's own fears: Am I living my life to the fullest?

I constantly worry about whether I'm living life with passion, am I having fun, do I do the things I love? Am I going to be lucky enough to meet a great love, have children, have grandchildren?

I guess it's just time to stop worrying and start living.......Marco did. For what little time he had, it seems to me it was all good.

A little bit of Humanity

What is going on in the world? Where is our human spirit or concern, for not only ourselves, but others. We just don't give a damn anymore......

I read with horror the story of a poor little innocent angel, who wondered off from her mother's care onto a busy street in China, only to be knocked over. Not once, but TWICE, while people failed to stop to offer assistance, even just riding around her oblivious to her plight and pain.

How have we become so insensitive, so callous? Surely we need to acknowledge that behaviour does not only affect me and you, but everyone.

I know there are many who have taken advantage of the human spirit with criminal intent, pretending to be in trouble, only to rob and beat those that stop to help. But a 2-year old child.........there is no excuse.

What a sad state the world is in, placing more value on materialistic things than on values such as love, compassion, courage, empathy....

"You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end, each of us must work for our own improvement and, at the same time, share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think we can be most useful."

                                     Marie Curie

I don't know about you, but I've had ENOUGH!!! So, what can be done about all this apart from ensuring that I practice what I preach and set a good example? How do we get buy in from our communities as a whole? How do we remind each other that money is not all that matters? That the Hilton's, Kardashian's and E! Reality TV stars of the world, are in actual fact, not a true reflection of what it means to have value or be valuable.

How? What will be the straw that breaks the camel's back?

Remember

After some events or experiences, it's amazing how we never forget exactly where we were or what we were doing.

I will never forget the day 9/11 happened. It was a typical morning for a member of a college swimming team, we had been to practice and all headed back to the canteen to grab some much needed breakfast. After getting our food and heading to our regular table at the back, I noticed everyone else had gathered at the front around the TV. We were on the West Coast, so we were about 3 hours behind New York. I told the girls that something was going on, but they were jabbering about something else, so I decided to go have a look myself.

When I got to the crowd and managed to see the TV, I really thought my eyes were deceiving me. Both buildings of the World Trade Centre were in flames, and just as I wondered how that was possible, they showed the second aircraft slamming into the South Tower.

The next few weeks were a complete daze for most people, purely because it was so difficult to comprehend how someone had even thought of using passenger aircraft as weapons, and then actually committed the act. How can anyone use religion as a justification for such attrocities?

What really amazed me was the resilience of the people. Once the shock and raw emotion subsided, a patriotism, compassion and strength, that I had never beared witness, emerged. It was truly humbling.

As I watched the events of the 10 year memorial yesterday, suprised that it had been that long already, I was reminded of the power of memory, and its ability to reignite all that emotion: anger, sadness, frustration, disbelief.

It also reminded me of all those other events I will never forget where I was or exactly what I was doing: Princess Diana's death, the 1995 & 2007 Rugby World Cups, the London bombings of 2005, 2010 World Cup Opening Ceremony..........

What events can you remember so vividly? 

Fabric of Society

This past week I have watched with horror at the events that have unfolded in London and across the UK. It has been shocking and unsurprising at the same time.

I remember when I lived in London I was more afraid of the yobs than anything else. I had heard of people being attacked just for walking a certain way, looking a certain way. Hence, I kept my head down and walked very quickly through the streets at night. You never really felt very comfortable there.

So what has caused all this unrest? There has been much debate about the issues: boredom, no hope for the future etc. I'm a strong believer that it starts at home. I'm not a parent, so I speak from observation, but parents just don't parent anymore. It's all about being your kids mate. There is such a fine line between being friends and being a parent. It's simple, your kids won't like you for some of the hard decisions you make, but they will still love you, no matter what. We need to go back and instill right from wrong, values and morals in our kids and society.

Another issue is all these handouts. Why would someone get out of bed and work hard everyday when governments will pay them to be unemployed and stay at home? I'd also lay around on the couch watching TV!!! I do understand for some it's not that simple, but for many this is what they choose. I had a friend in Australia who wanted to surf all day and live off the dole. Why work?

It's also time to get tough. Nobody has to take responsibility for their actions anymore. You do the crime, you do the time. There are just too many loop holes. Here in SA, you break a road rule, you just pay a bribe. You drive drunk, you just pay a bribe. What happens when you drive drunk and end up killing someone?

Watching the looters destroy shops, burn buildings and people's homes, steal TV's, clothing and other tech products without guilt or remorse really made me angry. There are no consequences, we have become soft and all to enamoured by this human rights jargon. A person who breaks the law does not deserve any rights. I might get into trouble for this statement, but I stand by it.

These issues can be debated endlessly, but for all of us who aspire to be parents or who are already parents, we can bring about change, starting at home. It's time to break out the sewing kit and craft a new fabric, to encourage our children and neighbours to live with integrity, compassion, honour and pride. 

Really?

So, a few weeks ago, I was introduced to a new colleague and she seemed like a reallly fun, go-getter type of person, but after a few encounters and interesting conversations, I'm unenamoured.

Many times I struggle to understand how people become the way they become. What happened that they behave a certain way and have certain opinions and beliefs? And just to be clear, I'm not judging, I'm just curious.

You see, this colleague of mine is of the opinion that every single man that walks planet earth is a cheat. Really? Is this true? On Friday we went to a racing event and she spent most of the day pondering how difficult it would be to be married to one of the competitors, because that would mean you would have to spend your weekends at races, because if you left him to attend on his own, he would be hooking up with every cherrie that crossed his path. WOW!!!

She even insinuated that if given half a chance my grandfather and father, if they have not already, would probably have cheated. Really? Not on your life!!!! I am in total disagreement. I have some of the most wonderful examples of endless, passionate, enduring, hardworking, successful relationships anyone could ask for.

My grandparents were married for 65 years. My parents have been married for 34 years. None of them have said it has been easy, none of them have cheated or strayed. I'm witness to the wonderful relationships some of my friends have. I cannot think of one who has not got a sincere, thoughtful, caring and dedicated boyfriend or husband.

I may not be involved with anyone at the moment, but I'm going to put my neck out and stand up for the good guys of the world. There are many of you out there who don't get acknowledged or appreciated. Thank you...Gramps, Dad and all the others for being such wonderful blokes!!!

Building a Foundation

Yesterday was Nelson Mandela's 93rd Birthday. As I was driving to work, a national message was broadcast over the radio from our current president, Jacob Zuma, to honour this day of celebration and a call to action for us to give our time to help others.


One part of the speech really caught my attention: It was a section dedicated to building a foundation, Zuma said, "As the first President of a free and democratic South Africa, {Mandela} laid the foundation for a truly non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous society. He laid the foundation for a solid constitutional democracy where the rights of citizens are supreme and protected. He laid the foundation for all of us to work tirelessly to improve the quality of life of all our people."


When I heard this, I had to stifle a good laugh, what is that saying, out of the mouths of babes.....as far as I'm concerned every government since Nelson Mandela was in power has chosen to ignore such a solid foundation, every action they have taken has been a mockery of this foundation, a mockery of Nelson Mandela's legacy.


I acknowledge that each of us has made the same mistake. How often have we laid the foundation for ourselves to be greater human beings and failed? We have good intentions to no avail.


Often we don't scale the highest mountain because of fear. We are afraid, firstly of failing, then we are afraid of actually succeeding, because what would that mean?


Nelson Mandela has said, "I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."

As a human being, we will always struggle and tussle with our fears, but I challenge all of us to continue to strive for greatness and to understand that once you have scaled the highest mountain you could possibly imagine, there will be another one. You have to keep going.......

Who are you?

There have been a few events recently which have got me asking philosophical questions galore. But one which constantly stands out is "Who am I?"

I've been told many times what I am: a girl, woman, daughter, sister, communications officer......When I was growing up, I was THE SWIMMER. "Hi, I'm Taryn"........."Oh, your the swimmer." How annoying, it was utterly annoying. So many times I just wanted to scream, I'm not just a swimmer...that's not who I am. What also amazed me was how, just because you were good at something, you automatically possessed certain characteristics like confidence, boastfulness, selfishness, a holier than though attitude. For those who truly know me, I hardly displayed any such characteristics, yet so many such attributes were accredited to me.

The many times I was accused, by adults, not even children, of doing things I could not even possibly dream of, still has negative connotations for me on this very day. The fact that when you are successful, there are so many who want nothing more than to destroy you. I think with regards my swimming career, that is what killed me...the people who didn't want to see me succeed. That is what caused me to throw in the towel, I was tired and just wanted to be normal. I can't imagine how difficult it must be for those who have true success, what amazingly strong individuals they are.

I did not possess that kind of strength at the time and when I did give up swimming, I confused Who I am with What I am. I kept thinking that without swimming I was not worth anything of true value, I had nothing to give or offer my family, friends or society. I still struggle with this concept today, 7 years after my very last training session and last competitive race. Can I be someone other than THE SWIMMER, can I have different dreams and aspirations and can I find success and happiness?

On the weekend I took one giant step in a positive direction. It's time to throw away the cloak of doubt, lack of confidence and knowledge and dream big. It's about asking for what you want, being open to receiving it and being grateful for all that you have. There are many who are skeptics about asking for things and truly believing that they deserve it. If you don't believe you are worthy, you will not acheive your dreams.

I know who I am now and I know who I want to be in the future. My dream is to be the best possible me I can be and not worry about what others think and say, not worry about their desire to see me fail. I want to be a great writer, one who is trustworthy, decisive, open-minded, generous, easygoing, fun and loyal. 

What's your dream?

Angels Gone to Heaven

Gladys Irene Bryant

Born: 26-02-1918 Passed Away: 4-06-2011

Nana was a lady, full of poise, grace, compassion and love. Never a curse or careless word was spoken, a cigarette never lit, a drink never drunk.  There was always a beaming smile ready to greet you and a slight hint of disappointment when you were leaving. She was and always will be liked and loved by those who had the honour of knowing her.

She met the love of her life Leonard, for some, a lifetime ago. Married for 65 years, there was no disillusion as to the hard work that needs to go into a marriage, but for so many, Nana and Grandpa made it all look so easy. I cannot thank them enough for showing us what it is to truly love someone through the good and the bad times, for richer for poorer, in sickness and health. There has not been a more valuable and wonderful example of true love and commitment.

Nana loved her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren dearly and never failed to remind us on a daily basis of just how much. In fact, according to her there was no clear measurement, it was boundless, endless.

We could not have asked for a better cheerleader and believer. In each and everything we attempted or invested in, she was right there to offer her support and a big thumbs up.  There were and are no failures, the least we can do is try and try our best, that’s all she ever asked.

93 years is an amazing innings. Nana often felt the Lord was taking too long to reach her page and that she must have done something wrong to still be on this earth. We had to tell her so many times that the world is short of upstanding citizens and God wanted her here to show the way, to remind us of the characteristics that should be appreciated and cultivated.

Nana loved the simple things in life: a smile, a hearty joke, dessert, a cup of coffee, a warm summer day and an abundant, colourful garden. It is with this in mind that we chose the following poem to share with you:

God looked around his garden

And found an empty place,

He then looked down upon the earth

And saw your tired face.

He put his arms around you

And lifted you to rest.

God's garden must be beautiful

He always takes the best.

He knew that you were suffering

He knew you were in pain.

He knew that you would never

Get well on earth again.

He saw the road was getting rough

And the hills were hard to climb.

So he closed your weary eyelids

And whispered, 'Peace be Thine'.

It broke our hearts to lose you

But you didn't go alone,

For part of us went with you

The day God called you home.

Nana, you will be loved always and forever. It is with full hearts and fond memories that we say farewell, not goodbye. Merely, see you later Alligator, in a while Crocodile.

*I will miss you so much, you are and always will be my eternal sunshine*

Heaven on a Plate

Have you ever sat down to a meal that just blew your taste buds away? Or do you have a dish that a loved one makes that you can't help but tuck in for seconds, maybe thirds?

Last week Friday, I had the pleasure of experiencing one of the best meals I've ever had at a new little cafe, Billi Bi, at my local shopping mall. I'm a food lover, as previously indicated, I have the curves to prove it! So, this experience got me thinking about all the meals I've had that have allowed me to travel to heaven:

1. Billi Bi's delightful grilled calamari with grilled veggies and a caress of sweet chili sauce. Mmmm, there were no words really. I guess heaven must be really quiet.

2. My mother's lasagna. Yes, I understand this could be percieved as mere bias, but I promise if you had to taste it you would agree.

3. The steamed lobster I got to devour on the banks of the Swan River, in Perth, on a balmy summer evening.

4. My grandfather's breakfast of burnt toast and oats with powder milk...clearly not because it tasted like heaven, but because it was made with love.

5. A packet of old fashioned slap chips........not healthy, but seriously addictive. The smell of vinegar and salt gets the saliva juices flowing.

Ofcourse, there are so many more memories of great food I could conjure up, but then that would make this post just far too long. It begs the question.....what have been some of your favourite meals of all time?

Hot Toddy

This one is for all my Southerners who are facing the daunting task of keeping the cold's and flu at bay during the coming Winter season. Ofcourse, for all my Notherners, you will have to refer back to this in November....you will have to..why? Because this works!!! It may not be to your taste, infact using the old "block your nose while you drink"adage comes in pretty handy here.

I got this little remedy from my homeopath a couple of years ago and it worked wonders for me, so I thought I would share:

WINTER COCKTAIL

Mix the following ingredients together (all measurements are approximate):-

• 1/4 teaspoon dry ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon dry ground tumeric
• 1/2 teasppon fresh grated ginger / 1/4 teaspoon dry ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 250 - 350ml boiling water

You can drink this throughout the day, but most importantly drink before going to bed.

Bottoms Up! Here's to a healthy winter season.

Only in Africa

So, here in South Africa and I know in the States, this past Sunday was Mother's Day. Finally, this year my Mom could actually tell us what she wanted for this special day, so off my sister and myself went to the local mall in pursuit of some lovely warm, winter pajama attire.

When we eventually made it to Woolworths, and found what we were looking for, it was pretty much closing time. Much to our excitement and pleasure, Woolworths were offering a free wrapping service for their customers who had purchased goods for Mother's Day. So, off we went to stand in line to get our pressies wrapped.

Eventually, we were helped by the lovely Wonderful (yes, his name was Wonderful), who proceeded to wrap the presents in a most professional manner, much to my relief, as I cannot wrap presents for you know what. I'm terrible!!! Anyway, just as he started wrapping the last of our presents, the other ladies at the counter decided to pack up and asked if he would assist the remaining three customers who were waiting patiently after us. When he was almost done with our present, he asked one of the ladies in the line if she knew how to wrap presents. To which she quizzically responded that she did, to which he proceeded to ask her if she wouldn't mind helping with one of the other customers.

When he had finished helping us, he then put his jacket on, said he needed to catch his taxi and left the woman, the customer, to help wrap the remaining presents!!!!!

Only in Africa................................

Service Delivery

Our local elections are coming up in the month of May and ofcourse, as always, the Hot Topic is: Service Delivery.

For many South Africans, clean running water, working toilets, rubbish (garbage) collection etc are all luxuries and stuff they see in other people's homes and communities. Election time is also the opportunity for political parties to spew their endless ramblings of hatred toward each other and point the finger of blame for Service Delivery failings. Empty promises are top of the agenda.

This all got me thinking and it dawned on me that such behaviour isn't reserved for merely government and political parties, but something we all do, everyday, to each other. We all fail at Service Delivery.

As human beings, we all serve each other, whether as a Mother, Father, Brother, Sister, Grandfather, Grandmother, Cousin, Colleague, Environment, Pets etc. You get my drift. But are we doing our best? Are we serving with purpose?

According to the Mirriam Webster dictionary, to serve means
~ to render or be of service to (a person, cause, etc); help

When I think of how I have served others or others are serving each other, we are failing miserably. I'm not even considering the "big" things such as water, toilets, saving the planet etc, I'm considering the little things, such as calling someone when you say you will, being on time to a party, greeting your colleagues.

In the past few weeks I have really begun to notice how people generally have an "I don't give a damn about you-cavalier" attitude. Why, when somebody says I'll call you on Saturday, they don't. When you send an invitation to a party / dinner, either you don't get a response, they respond but then don't show up, they just show up........Meetings: when late for a meeting, call to let someone know you will be late. Why when we receive communications, whether it be written or said, we don't read the email fully, we don't listen to what the other person is saying. Why do some people think that all anybody else wants to hear about is them, it's not all about you. Everybody has a story, everybody has something to share. Give everybody the opportunity to express themselves.

Often, I'm left gobsmacked at the events that are occuring across the globe and how humanity is destroying itself, but then when I consider how we cannot serve well in the simple things, I realise how on earth can we serve well in the big things?

We need to go back to basics, we need to serve each other with purpose. It's like that saying, you can't love somebody if you don't love yourself. Well, you cannot serve yourself without serving others.

STOP. LISTEN. ACKNOWLEDGE. HELP. BE CURTIOUS. SHARE. RESPECT. SMILE. RESPOND. SERVE. YOURSELF. EACHOTHER.

A Natural Disaster

The scenes from the recent Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan have been absolutely mind blowing and unbelievable. Each and every time we are left in awe at the power of Mother Nature, which is suprising considering how many times she has shown her prowess.

I don't know where and how man became so egotistical and all powerful, it has been going on for centuries, and why we continue to act superior to our natural surroundings, by which without, we would not survive. We continue to test her resilience and composure with dire consequences. We ourselves are Natural Disasters.

We all know the message: Nurture Nature, become one with our surroundings, Save our Planet......but are we working to make a difference, to accept that nature is a part of us. Intrinsic/True/Real/Essential.

And we all know that if we each played our part, we can make a difference. So, everyday, do something little to save our planet: recycle, switch off your lights, instead of pouring water down the drain put it in the kettle to boil (clean) or use it to water your garden (dirty). Use public transport....although, here in South Africa, that is not a really great option. Take part in Earth Hour (this Sat) and World Environment Day (June 5th).

http://www.earthhour.org/Homepage.aspx
http://www.unep.org/wed

Visit this link for some handy tips: http://www.eslflow.com/101_recycling_enviro_topics.pdf

Be the change you want to see!!!

Change is as good as......

We all know that infamous saying "Change is as good as a Holiday!", well, there have been a few changes around here over the past month. It has not felt like a holiday but it has been good.

I have come to realise that there have been some very valuable lessons to take from the changes:

WE DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING

At the beginning of Febraury I got a new boss. Now before this, it was panic stations full steam ahead. I think there is nothing worse than knowing things will change, but not knowing what you are going to get. I know you will tell me, this is what happens everyday, we don't know what we are going to get, but this was different.
I had a great relationship with my former boss and not only did we work well together, but we became firm friends. Somehow I had conjured up these images of my company hiring some awful, bossy, demanding Cruela Devil, but alas, thankfully that was not to be. She is bossy and demanding, but in the best way possible. 
Now, I have never claimed that I know everything, but I was led to believe that I was in the thick of things and knew what was up and what was down. Frustratingly and refreshingly, it has come to my attention, that I actually did not know what was up or down all that well. But, I have been granted a boss who believes 110% in my abilities and knows that I can offer my company and myself so much more. How liberating!! I am so looking forward to broadening my horizons. The future looks bright and oneday I might just know everything!!!!

APPRECIATE, APPRECIATE, APPRECIATE

As previously mentioned, I pranged my car. And when you prang your car, you have to send it in for repairs. Last Tuesday was my turn to send my little critter in to be beautified. This also mean't that I had to start using a rental car. Firstly, I appreciate the fact that my insurance covers the cost of a rental car for the time it takes for things to be fixed, but I didn't particularily appreciate the fact that I got one that sounded like it belonged on a local mielie farm and stank to high heaven of disgusting cigarette smoke. I've had to resort to driving with the window down, thankfully I'm not a chick who has her hair done everyday, and I now take alternative routes around town, just so nobody recognises me or hears me in the thunder truck. Embarrassing. Which just solidified how much I appreciate MY stuff: my car, my tendancy to want to breathe fresh and clean air, my hair, my eyes, my nose, my sense of humour, my clothes, my friends, my family.........ja, it got me thinking about ALL that!!!

TRUST IN THE PROCESS 

I have always been told throughout life, that it's not all about the end or the beginning, but about the inbetween, the process, the journey. And this is where our lessons, or repeated lessons, of life come in. Since I stopped competitive swimming, I decided I needed a break, a break from excercise, which ended up being a break from taking care of myself. Why I thought this was a good idea, I have no clue. Swimming for 20 years of my life was a rather big commitment and responsibility, I think I just didn't want to have to be so committed to anything or responsible. I have now realised that it is the circle of life, having to be committed and responsible,without realising it, everyday we are committed and responsible for something.
Anyway, this hiatus turned out to last about 5 years too long. Last October I decided to confront this lack of self-commitment and responsibility head on. It was about time I really started taking care of my self and watching what I put down my esophagus.
My Mom suggested I try Weigh-less to which I challenged both my parents to do it with me. (This turned out to be a good idea). When we first started the diet, it seemed like we were eating way too much food. We weighed and re-weighed, ummed and aahhhed over this dilemma, needless to say we all lost weight and were left scratching our delicate scalps.
Sometimes you just can't question if it will work or not, you just need to trust in the process and the results will happen. I'm doing that now, and am enjoying feeling that little bit lighter.

As I said, these changes and challenges have not felt like a holiday, but they definately feed the mind and soul with enlightenment, amusement and happiness. Bombs away for a few more!!!

De ja Vu!

Apparently life is here to teach us lessons. The question is do we ever learn from these lessons? Are we getting it?

So often, I think to myself, after another occurence of procrastinating and then deciding the obvious way to go would be organised, why was I not organised in the first place? Why did I not do it this way in the beginning? I mean, duh, it was so much easier this way!!

Over the past few weeks I have been very busy, amidst the throes of trying to shake off a devlish virus, with concerts, work, freelance stuff, reading a terrific book (Stieg Larsson book 2 is soo much better than book 1), movies, TV shows, seeing friends...thank goodness excercise has not been in the mix. At first I was floundering, panicking at how I was going to get everything done, but as the weeks have gone by, I've started having some fun and all purely thanks to the fact that I decided to get my little ducks in a row.

And just the other night, as I was working on my little row of ducks, it dawned on me: I've had this experience before. De ja Vu! But why did I not learn from my previous experience? Why had I forgotten this simple life lesson.

Is this the purpose of life? To experience and re-experience these lessons until we finally acknowledge "I got the Message!". What makes one lesson more important than the other? How quickly we change our behaviour or do we have these experiences because, as much as they may seem a lot like a previous occurence, there is something new to learn?

All I know is that I wish I'd pick up on this Ducks in a Row lesson, it would make my life so much easier!!!

The Man

A few weeks ago, South Africans and many people across the globe were in a panic over the health of our former president, Nelson Mandela. It was reported that he had passed away, he was merely in hospital for a regular check-up and in the end it was confirmed he had suffered a collapsed lung.

I had to wonder why people were so panicked at the thought of the passing of Nelson Mandela. He is a wonderful example of humility, forgiveness and love, but we are not invincible, he is 93 and we cannot all live forever. We all die, our physical form perishes, but we can find comfort in the knowledge that our spirit will live on. Nelson Mandela will live on for eternity, some of us will live on in the hearts and minds of family and friends.

Someone might be remembered for bringing about World Peace, finding a cure for Cancer or finally making that chocolate that is truly FAT FREE!!! In the meantime, us mere mortals must not forget that we play a role in the human spirit and how our generation will be remembered. We can make a difference.

I leave you with one of my favourite quotes:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn't serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so
that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other
people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others." 

                                                       Written by Marianne Williamson

Crash, Boom, Bang

Life has a cruel way of sneaking up on you!!! Just when you were beginning to hum and take each day as it comes...WHAM, a million things go wrong all at one time. Ok, well, not a million, but you know what I mean.

That was me between December and exactly last Wednesday, 19th January. I'm not sure if somebody felt I was prancing around in too much of a contented state and I needed to wake up, but boy oh boy did they wake me up!!!

Now I'm a girl and apparently we are masters at multi-tasking, but Wednesday I failed miserably. Trying to cook, update FB and LinkedIn, read emails and fix my iPod, I came up short. While frantically returning to the kitchen, as I forgot about the pan on the stove , I hastily picked it up to which it replied with a mean dash of hot virgin olive oil all over my index finger and thumb. Mother of pearls it was excruciating!!! I quickly applied cold water and ice, but I dare remove it from my hand and it was, excuse the pun, on fire!!!! I have a new found respect and admiration for people who suffer horrendous burns all over their body.......I was desperate for some morphine for a mere index finger and thumb!!! A week later and it does not look pretty, but it gets a lot of attention......ha!

Then, Sunday and Monday while trying to get some work done, my computer decided to take a vacation or just move on completely, I'm not quite sure, as I need someone to have a look at it, but really, did she have to be so inconsiderate?

Tuesday was the straw that broke the camels back. While driving, the car in front of me had to slam on brakes to which I had to slam on brakes, but unfortunately I did not do it quick enough and my car chose to get up close and personal with the bakkies undercarriage. Ofcourse, the bakkie was not damaged, much to my relief, but my poor little boo needs a new bumper and bonnet. Doh! A bummer bumper/bumper bummer.

When I look back at this scenario, it's clear, as the saying goes, things happen in three's. Three wake up moments in the space of one week. It all begs the question, why? Why could I have not won the lottery ( I suppose I should enter), been given a suprising increase or contacted by Josh Groban to write awesome music together. Alas, lady luck is not on my side.

In the meantime, I will just gaze upon my misfortune with some humour and hope that this next week will bring a different type of three.

I think my phone is ringing......

The Power of No

I'm a sucker! Well, many people tell me that, but I like to think I'm compassionate, thoughtful and caring.....until a couple of weeks ago.

It seems it is official, I'm the only singlet among my friends and am just begging for valid responsibilities and have endless amounts of time on my hands!!! I'm the Go-To-Girl.

If you need a house-sitter, baby-sitter, pet-sitter, alarm switch-on-and-offer....who do you call? Moi! Now don't get me wrong, I don't take any issue with helping my friends out, but when people you only see on odd occasions start trusting you with 800metre squared of home space....now really, was there nobody else you could call?

The thing that irks me most is the fact that I just cannot say no. THAT is the real issue. Apparently learning to say no is an empowering process and I'm looking for empowering! I'm just wondering, what about it is empowering?

Maybe it's empowering becasue then I can decide what I want to do with my own time. Am I going to veg on the couch, go to a movie, spend my millions on those designer fashions or head out to a good restaurant for a great meal with some excellent company. Mmmm, that does sound empowering.

What would be more empowering is if I charge them!!! I wonder if they'd pay for my Go-to-Girl services? Lightbulb...that would mean never having to say NO!!!!!

FB Friends

Not so long ago I was waiting in line to pay for my few precious neccessities, when I couldn't help but notice the conversation taking place behind me:

"But, I don't understand, why has she not accepted my Facebook Friend request? I mean, we like see her every other six months, and I know she has been on FB in the past few weeks, I checked!!!" "Babe, I don't know why she has not accepted your request", said boyfriend. "I knew it, she doesn't like me." "I don't think that's true, I mean, everytime I see her and you are not with me, she always asks how you are", said boyfriend. "Then why hasn't she accepted my request?".

Seriously, is this what friendships now boil down to. I'm sorry, but hey, we aren't friends on FB so like, I don't think we can be friends face to face, know what I mean?

And how does the amount and who your friends are on FB now affect your levels of self-confidence and worth?

In the beginning I also thought it was cool to become friends with people you have not seen since nursery school, see how they are doing, where they are in life.....satisfy that human nature stuff of sinical nosiness. Now, I'm so into deleting people who are not actually my friends, specially when you see them out on the town and suddenly they ignore you and avoid you like the plague.....but aren't we friends on FB? I don't care if I only have 5 friends, as long as I communicate with them on a regular basis. Obviously this FB stuff is a good tool for keeping in touch with those people who are my most treasured friends and live in far flung destinations across the globe, otherwise, what's the big deal?

I'd rather have my friends around for a good meal, silly conversation, Wii or 30 seconds and some good wine. Are wall posts, photo tags, Farmville, likes and status updates really that valuable?

Now if only I knew how to delete on my upgraded FB site!!!!