Inspired

Sat. 03 December 2011

23h50, the end of a beautiful, busy day - a day composed of a comfortable mixture of things I had to do and things I chose to do. I liked the fact that I achieved one or two things that had been on my To Do list for a while, like having the garden taken care of! What a relief! Not only had the grass grown really long, but we hadn’t been watering much, so everything had dried out. I look at some of my pot plants that were so beautiful a few months ago, and I know I have to re-prioritize my activities, because a neglected garden makes me unhappy, while a thriving garden inspires me. Part of my frustration about the garden is that I’ve just been too busy to tend to it, so the way it’s been looking recently is basically just a reflection of how busy I’ve been. Fortunately, my son’s become very aware of my workload, and has offered to water the garden tomorrow.

This has actually been a week where I’ve achieved some closure and made significant strides. On Monday I sorted out my gym arrears (long, ridiculous story linked to medical aid) and got back into the pool after 8 months! The feeling of that moment when I slipped into that wonderful, welcoming water will remain with me for a long time. I managed 20 lengths, felt I could’ve gone on, but started feeling a slight pull in one of my calves, so decided that 20 was quite enough. The week seemed to fly by, and the next time I was able to swim was last night, when I did another 20 lengths, this time limited by the closing time of the gym. But still, I’d had the luxury of the whole pool to myself, which always feels like a rare and valuable gift.

Sun 4 Dec. 08h00

Loved waking up naturally, this morning, without an alarm urging me into the new day. This, alone, feels like a holiday. One day I’ll have enough money to go away for a while, on a real holiday, but for now I’ll savour the little breaks life affords me, and feel the pleasure of those moments. The alternative is to dwell on what I don’t have, which is not how I choose to go through life.

Today’s yet another busy day, and I have to start as soon as possible, in order to get through everything and keep my sense of humour.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this past year and how interesting it’s been, so I’ve decided to set time aside to write a reflective article, detailing the amazing path life has taken me down, these past 12 months. Even if all I achieve is the soothing of my Virgo soul, I want to write it down.

What I do hope to achieve, as well, is to show others who have been retrenched, that:

i) LIFE goes on

ii) it’s ultimately up to YOU whether you sink or swim

iii) you have to be open to accepting CHANGE and to doing things differently

iv) you have to HUMBLE yourself and DEPEND on others for a while

v) if you open your mind, you’ll see the many OPPORTUNITIES around you

vi) it helps to spend more time with PEOPLE who lift your spirits and support your journey, and less time with people who constantly drag you down

vii) it seldom happens overnight, but your PATH will become clear, and you WILL find your direction, your purpose, your way of making money that is right for you

viii) you need to TUNE into yourself, know what makes you tick, and try to align that knowledge with an income-generating activity (or activities, in my case) – if you’re interested in living an authentic life, and not just working for the sake of working.

ix) in the words of David Miller, the Principal of Norman Henshilwood High School, “BAD TIMES DON’T LAST” (in a speech at Bergvliet Primary on 30/11/11)

x) you can actually reach a point where, with hindsight, you can APPRECIATE that losing your job was the BEST thing that could’ve happened to you, because it catapulted you into a far more MEANINGFUL and truly SATISFYING time of your life.

In conclusion, I’d like to quote from a speech made by Haajer Kader, an inspired and inspiring Grade 7 pupil at Bergvliet Primary School, also on 30/11/11, on the occasion of their Academic and Sports Awards: “Don’t let your past steal your present.”