It's a Friday morning, it's miserable weather outside, and I am under the covers, enjoying what's probably my last free weekday morning in a while. In a few days, my life will change. Right now, I'm sitting with two possible employment opportunities, and am waiting on written offers. Considering the long drawn-out situation I'm still dealing with, of unpaid salaries for six months, as a result of not having signed a contract, you can understand my caution. Details to follow.
By the next time I blog, I will have re-entered the world of full-time employment. Neither of them is long-term, but for at least one month, I will be actively engaged in shifting energies that will, in one way or another, impact on what happens next in my life. I've learnt that, before things can flow, they have to start. And that's what I'm focussing on - starting.
A few months ago, in an interview, I was offered the job - a full-time teaching post at a high school a few kilometres from home. Later, while I was processing the offer, weighing up the pros and cons, I got a verbal offer for a completely different job, at a higher salary. I turned down the first, and the second one did not materialise. While I understood the ever-changing dynamics, it was a strange set of emotions to navigate. The nett result was that I remained unemployed. I decided to be philosophical about it; I believed that, in time, I would understand why that was not meant to be.
I have a busy weekend ahead, and I'll write more about it when I can. Suffice it to say that my life has very few dull moments - even my quiet moments aren't dull. I'm an avid crocheter, and have been part of a craft club for the past 9 months, so I'm always working on at least one item. The craft club, called Knit and Natter (KAN), meets once a month; we teach beginners (and constantly upskill ourselves), and we knit and crochet for ourselves and for charity. Every three months, we donate items to an organisation. I generally don't seek out groups, in my personal life, because I have enough interesting ideas that work for me, and I don't want to waste my discretionary time putting up with problematic group dynamics that sometimes emerge. I seek harmony in every part of my life, so doing things on my own is easier. Life is as complicated as we make it, right?
But this group is lovely, I derive a lot of joy from hanging out with like-minded people, I've learnt a lot since we started, and I absolutely love the flow of making things and donating them to people who need them. Kindness is important to me - not only was I raised in a community that valued kindness, but whenever I've struggled, at different times of my life, I have been the recipient of immense kindness; so whenever I can, I pay it forward. It's a healthy and important energy flow, for me.
SHORT REFLECTION ON SOLO SESSION 11
I did my 11th Solo Session on Saturday, 12 August. In one of the cute and colourful spaces at The wave Café, with an adjacent balcony overlooking Cape Town's iconic Long Street, I sang my songs and told my stories to an audience of about 20 people, who sat at little tables, sipping drinks bought at the venue's bar.
The space at The Wave Café where I did Solo Session 11, in my intimate concert series. I wore a new pair of jeans (I love jeans), a black silk shirt (I love shirts) and a colourful wrap (of my mom's!) worn as a turban. I sat on a barstool made of metal, and thanks to the combination of my silk shirt and the slippery metal seat, I ended all my songs looking like the Leaning Tower of Pisa!
In the audience were a friend from primary school, a friend from high school, a friend from teacher training college (on holiday from abroad), quite a few friends I'd met in my adult life, and a few people I'd never met before. They responded warmly to my songs, which created a beautiful, reciprocal atmosphere. I always feel spent after my shows, but in a really pleasant way - the way you feel when you've expended energy doing what you love.
One of my friends, Gail van Breda, filmed the whole show on her phone, so I have lots of video clips I want to share. Thanks to Gail for that really kind gesture!! One of the audience members live-streamed part of the concert, so her friends were all watching! I've just realised the show was almost 2 weeks ago! I need to make time to edit the videos and share them. Oh, I'm on Instagram now, so that's where I'll share them. (@guitartrudy)
At one stage, I thought of having my 12th Solo Session close to my birthday (10 September), but with full-time job stuff arising, and my desire to give 100% of myself to whatever I do, I decided to shift my next one to October. I'll think about it, though. With the seasons changing, and our warmer weather imminent, this is also the time that the music season opens, with people hiring musicians for events. In fact, in the next six days, I have two paid gigs. Thank you, universe!!
I definitely want to do Solo Session 12 in 2023, though, in line with my preferred timeline for this concert series.
I have an interesting day ahead, so I'll get up now, and make a start. I SOOOOO enjoyed this lazy Friday morning.
I am filled with gratitude for all the wonderful energy shifts I've experienced this month. May they continue to grow, and result in the manifestation of my current goals.
And life goes on... ⚘
