I imagine

I wish I could see forever. Wish I could see our future.

See you and me with grey hair, sitting on the porch catching the breeze.

I wish I could see us ten years from now.

See us happy and in love.

But the future is blurry and all I can be sure of is right here and right now.

Knowing that what I feel for you is deep and true.

Feeling secure with your hand holding mine and believing that what we have is everlasting.

I imagine us years from now.

I imagine us happy

I imagine us old and grey & holding hands.

I imagine you.

I imagine me.

I imagine us, together and hope that that’s our forever.

Images sourced from: http://piccsy.com/

Home Comforts

As the time is nearing for me to make my big move abroad, I find myself contemplating what I can and cannot live without. There are certain home comforts which I simply cannot imagine my life without and the thought of not having them at my disposal makes me slightly nostalgic. Things like ‘Wonderkroon’ and Jamaica Ginger Tonics, which my mother swears by and always seems to make me feel better when I’m sick.

Then there’s my all time favourite cereal, Pronutro, which tastes just as good now, as it did when I was five years old. Salticrax, which despite its misleading name, is the absolute best savoury snack. I’ve also got a weakness for Flings, which generally are considered ‘baby chips’ due to their soft texture, but hey who cares right? Rooibos Cappuccinos, Woolworths Marshmallows, Kauai, Mugg & Bean, Old Biscuit Mill, Eastern Food Bazaar, the V& A Waterfront and the Company Gardens are just some of the things I’m going to miss about my home town.

I’ll most certainly miss all of my favourite delights, but I’ll miss this city and the people in it the most. Cape Town has a certain spirit about it, especially around Christmas time and the people who live here are some of the warmest, funniest and downright nicest people I know. No matter where I go, this will always be my home.

So here’s to new beginnings, lasting memories and a place I can always call home 😀

Image sources:

http://piccsy.com/ 

The art of disillusionment

Funny how we thought we were being all grown up and making grown up decisions. 

How we honestly believed that we could live our lives apart. 

And the way we went about things, all head and no heart. 

Being practical, responsible adults, as if the world expected nothing less from us. 

How we convinced each other and ourselves, 

that this was the only way for things to be. 

That this decision was logical and that this was what was best for both of us. 

How we both resigned ourselves to living a life where ‘we’ didn’t exist and how when it finally came down to it, our hearts were stronger than our minds. 

Image source: http://piccsy.com/

Mothers & Daughters

I’ve never had a daughter before, but I have loads of experience on being a daughter. My sister and I being the only daughters amongst our brood of five have been fortunate to be raised by a modern day Wonder Woman. My Mum has loved us, nurtured us, cut us down to size, spoilt us and raised us to be the courageous women we are today. I’m not sure how she managed to pay such special attention to each and every one of us, with five kids running around, but I can only hope that if I should have a daughter one day, I’ll be able to measure up to the kind of parent my Mum is.

I’m a huge fan of spoken word and this little rendition by Sarah Kay called “B”, is one of my favourite pieces. It gets me choked up every time and compels me to aspire to be a great mother one day.

“This world is made of sugar. It can crumble so easily, but don’t be afraid to stick your tongue out and taste it.”

Image source: http://piccsy.com/

La Vie Simple

 a.k.a. The Simple Life

A few weekends ago I spent some time on what my best friend and I affectionately call ‘the farm’ or what is better known to others as Clanwilliam. I decided to make the long trip to this little ‘town’ outside of Cape Town to spend some time with my Bestie and her hubby who recently moved down there for work purposes.

The drive down there took forever and the more we drove, the more I felt as if any and all elements of my city life were disappearing before my eyes. Looking out at the huge expanse of dry land, all I could see for miles were mountainous landscapes and dams in between. I was expecting to arrive to at a tiny little town with gravel roads and perhaps one general store, but I must admit I was pleasantly surprised by what I found.

So there may not have been a shopping district as I know it, but there was in some sense a town centre, with all the major bank branches, a Spar, a restaurant and even a local pub, all of which ran on ‘country time’ (i.e. no after hours shopping). Despite this however, I thoroughly enjoyed soaking up ‘The Simple Life’ and the many great things it had to offer.

For starters, no one told me how freakin’ fantabulous the champagne is out in the country, but I certainly took full advantage of this. Then there’s the beautiful landscapes, which are simply breathtaking and the fresh air, which is nothing like the smog-filled city air and made me want to bottle up a few litres to take back with me. The best part of the weekend though was the people.

There’s something very endearing about small town people that just creeps right into your heart. They’re the most accommodating people ever, who will go out of their way to try and help you even if they don’t know you and especially if you’re an out-of-towner. There’s also the courtesy factor, where everyone greets everyone, despite them being strangers to each other and it certainly is true what they say about news spreading fast in a small town, because everyone either knows you within the first 24hours of you being there or they’re sure to know about you.

I thoroughly enjoyed my ‘mini-break’ to the farm and it certainly made me appreciate the great outdoors, made me believe in the good of humankind again and made me realise that sometimes less really is more.

Image sources:
http://lifeasahuman.com/files/2011/04/cow.jpg
http://cdnimg.visualizeus.com/thumbs/37/9b/life,quotes,simplicity,smple,life-379beb6637bec3ddff7f820a36a9d939_h.jpg

It’s still you

You still make my heart beat faster, 

still make me laugh like a kid, 

still get a smile out of me, 

even when I’m peeved. 

You still give me butterflies, 

still know how to comfort me, 

still make me feel completely secure, 

whenever you’re near. 

You’re still the one who I trust most, 

still the one who loves me best, 

still the one I want for life, 

the only one who holds my heart.

Even after all this time, even after all the miles, it’s still you.

Image source: http://piccsy.com/

Back in the zone

Hello all you Beautiful Blog Beauties,

After catching up on some Glee episodes last night, I’m sitting in the office jamming it up to some old school, Fleetwood Mac to be exact and I’ve gotta say these folks were are the shizz nizz. So sorry for being so quiet for the past few days, but the past two weeks have been a bit of whirl wind of activities and festivities.

I spent some time in the country side living la vie simple (a.k.a. The Simple Life) which was surprisingly refreshing, then enjoyed a lovely bout of Summer flu, finally finished my very long and  tiring year of studies, celebrated wedded bliss with some old friends and now here I am back in the zone.

These past two weeks have felt like a bit of a marathon, but a fun and unexpected one that has kept me on my toes constantly. Talk about unexpected, while walking in Woolies the other day I heard freakin’ Christmas Carols playing in the store and I had to take a minute to digest this highly suspicious activity. But then it dawned upon me that Christmas is only one month away. Can you believe it?

Just when I thought I could finally get a bit of a break and catch up on a year’s worth of sleep, the festive season arrives baring great tidings of great celebrations. Well, I guess the only thing left to do in these very unexpected situations is embrace the change, slap on your cape and call upon your super hero powers to help you survive it all or just turn on some Fleetwood Mac 😀

Image sources: 
http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/8000000/Glee-Wallpaper-glee-8088197-1280-800.jpg
http://piccsy.com/

The art of laughter

There’s a saying that goes: ‘Of all the forms of courage the ability to laugh is the most profoundly therapeutic.’

There are few things that I find more fulfilling than a really good, hearty laugh. Hearing my 5 year old nephew’s boisterous laughter, as he squirms and squiggles through my endless tickles is one of my favourite things on this earth; and there are few things as delightful as spending time with my Best Friend and hearing the sound of our shared laughter filling the room.

There are many battles that we all face daily, but there are few things that are not easily cured by a good laugh. I often find that when I feel like life just gets to be too much, the silliest incident will have me rolling on the floor, crying my eyes out and enjoying a really good laugh; and once its all over, I miraculously feel light and rejuvenated.

Try to find something everyday that makes you laugh. Our daily lives are filled with chores, activities, schedules and meetings, so its often difficult to find the time to just take a minute to breath. But, in between brushing your teeth, remembering to take your vitamins, delivering your weekly report to your boss, picking up the kids from school, find a minute or two to have a good laugh. Because, its true what they say…’laughter really is the best medicine’ (and the cheapest)! 🙂


Image source: http://piccsy.com/

The statute of limitation has expired on most of our childhood traumas

Dr. Gordon Livingston was a US author and psychiatrist, who wrote a critically acclaimed book called Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart, wherein he 30 truths or life lessons (which you can read more about here ). He believed that every individual is in control of his/her destiny, despite their past of current situation. The fourth chapter in his book was called ‘The statute of limitations has expired on most of our childhood traumas.’

The chapter goes on to explain that despite what has happened to us in our childhood, whether it be severe traumas of neglect, we are still in control of our destiny, and in order to move forward we must first be willing to let go of the past, in order to move into our future.

I know we’ve probably all been in one of those situations where we revert back to a childhood memory or something we learnt (directly or indirectly) from our parents or siblings. Some of these memories or traits are positive things that we carry with us from childhood, others though, such as the memory of your parents’ abusive relationship; or being molested by a family friend are best left forgotten.

Granted, its not as easy as just getting over these traumas which leave their scars on us for life. But in order to avoid repetition thereof in your future and move forward in life, you have to let go of these traumas. Its always easier to blame something or someone, but instead of blaming your current circumstances on your past, why not decide to take control of your life and steer it in the direction that you want it to go. Don’t let your past define your future!

Image source: http://piccsy.com/

Only bad things happen quickly

Death, car accidents, falling down stairs, being hijacked, being mauled by a bear, are what I would consider as bad things. The saying goes that only bad things happen quickly and perhaps that’s true. Maybe bad things have such a brief lifespan when they occur to the reduce the amount of pain you feel when you’re hit by a truck or slapped through the face.

I believe that human beings are resilient and that we can bounce back from anything. Sometimes the pain is brief, but the healing process is lengthy, but it makes us appreciate the good things in life so much more. The belief that something better lies ahead, keeps us moving and the patient knowledge that good things comes to those who wait, is what keeps us motivated. So we take the good with the bad, because ‘you can’t have a rainbow without a little rain.’

Image source: http://piccsy.com/