Life in the very fast lane...
Tuesday 25 February 2014
Life in the very fast lane...: It feels like a mere breath ago that I was listeni...
Life in the very fast lane...: It feels like a mere breath ago that I was listeni...: It feels like a mere breath ago that I was listening to “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” from the inside of a beautiful stone church in Johan...
It feels like a mere breath ago that I was listening to “Hark
the Herald Angels Sing” from the inside of a beautiful stone church in
Johannesburg on Christmas Eve, following a dinner of “my cup runneth over”
volumes of chilled white wine. Since then,
I survived, relatively simply, another uneventful Valentine’s Day, and now it
seems we are racing towards Easter and the promise of a slight reprieve from
the hustle and bustle of everyday frenetic life.
It is at these times, that one sits down to think about
where one has been, or rather, where one is off to on this roller coaster
commonly termed life.
I have, more times than I care to remember, been criticised
for not falling into the conventional boxes of societal expectation. I have pretty much broken every man-made rule
thus far, and ones I have not broken, I have no doubt I will break at some
point, with huge success.
One of my “escapes” in the quiet times is looking for quotes
on Pinterest – mainly because I look for inspiration for my writing. It seems I am often unable to come up with
inspiration of my own, so I need help from other clever folk. I found a saying which read “not all those
who wander are lost” and it struck a chord with me immediately.
I was thinking about this, and pondering what to write, and
how, when I decided to sit down, turn on the iPod and wish for
inspiration. The first song that played,
quite by chance, was “I did it my way” by none other than Frank Sinatra. Suddenly the second chord was struck.
I am a huge fan of individuals who possess a non-judgmental
outlook towards life. Very often, these
individuals are, like me, free spirits, who like to wander, and not get tied
down to conventional pressures and expectations - lovers of bigger picture,
blue sky thinking. When I hit the big
4-0, I made an active decision to stop judging myself with the same ferocious
cruelty previously experienced, but rather, stop apologizing for who and what I
am, and for having a mind and soul that likes to roam and wander, and in so
doing, not get lost, but actually, be found.
And so it is that I find myself embarking on a multitude of
career adventures that truly make me tick, and cater, quite literally, to my
love of all things creative; and with that, comes an appreciation of all events
that allow me to spend my days in cognitive freedom and blissful imagination.
You see, I am, like Frank Sinatra so aptly sang with that
liquid gold voice, doing things my way, and I am too, wandering, but I am
nowhere near lost. I am steering by
starlight, freedom, and a direct line straight to the ice, with a whole lot of
white wine thrown liberally on top of it, in a cut crystal glass, of course.
So for all those who are lost, and all those who are found –
my view is, if Frank Sinatra can do it his way, then so can we.
Sunday 22 December 2013
Life in the very fast lane...: As I have travelled along the cobbled road referre...
Life in the very fast lane...: As I have travelled along the cobbled road referre...: As I have travelled along the cobbled road referred to as “aspiring writer”, I have, most often, taken my inspiration from a quote I have re...
As I have travelled along the cobbled road referred to as “aspiring
writer”, I have, most often, taken my inspiration from a quote I have read
somewhere, at some time that appeals to my not-too-hot creative nerve.
About a month ago, I read a quote of Nelson Mandela’s – “may
your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears”. I wrote it down and thought I would get back
to it when the creative genie emerged from the now tarnished oil lamp
again. Of course, it goes without saying
that our lives have now changed, and in the time since reading that and where
we find ourselves today, there was no creative genie or genius anywhere to be
found, and our Madiba is in another world to the one we are in. I feel it even more appropriate now to write
on this quote than ever before.
I have sat and thought about this quote so much. How many decisions would I not have made had I
made them in hope instead of fear? Well,
as a single gal in her 40’s, one could always start with relationships. How many relationships do we enter into out
of fear – fear of being left on the shelf?
Tick. Fear of not having anyone
around in the wee small dark hours of the night? Tick.
Fear of being alone forever? Tick. Not travelling due to fear of lack of
funds? Tick. Fear that robbers may arrive in the middle of
the night so it is best to sleep in one’s make-up so as to look at one’s best
should this happen? Double tick.
Had I thought about this in my fun 20’s, I would have done
things differently; had I thought about this in my dismal 30’s, I would most
certainly have done things differently, now that I am thinking about this in my
naughty 40’s, I am going to do things differently.
I am proud to say that I am no longer fearful of that shelf I
have mentioned – I now realise I belong there, and it is actual prime real
estate and my happy place. Rather uncomplicated
in fact. I will somehow travel more, and
not be (too) fearful of the consequences – I also now realise that the
consequences of travel would not be so dire if I simply chose, for once, NOT to
visit the Chanel store.
I think many of us watched the post-Madiba days on the
television, and I think we all, rightly so, took our own part of him with
us. I would be bold enough to say that
for each of us, what we learnt from him was different and as individual as our
own thumb prints. For me, even though I did
not know his days were as numbered as they indeed were when I read that quote, I
will take it on board, and give thought to it before I jump into my next big
decision making process. I understand
that this, for me, intrinsically impulsive, is a big statement to make, but I will
give it my very best effort.
And so, as this year that is 2013 draws to a close, and we
move into the next year with a clean canvas and new brushes, l for one, will
base my new chapter on hope, and no longer on fear.
Onwards and upwards.
Tuesday 19 November 2013
Life in the very fast lane...: Latest published article from Inspire magazine.F...
Life in the very fast lane...: Latest published article from Inspire magazine.
F...: Latest published article from Inspire magazine. Finding your happy place When my daughter was born, her much-loved God-father gav...
F...: Latest published article from Inspire magazine. Finding your happy place When my daughter was born, her much-loved God-father gav...
Latest published article from Inspire magazine.
Finding your happy place
When my daughter was born, her much-loved God-father gave
her an exquisite silver compass. The
gift arrived clothed in a velvet pouch, housed within a sturdy box, with a silver
stamp explaining its Scottish heritage.
I remember clearly holding the object of beauty in my hand, and reading
the engraving on the front cover – “The world is your oyster. Enjoy life, and find your own true north”.
I was a new mother, experiencing all the emotions that
arrive with that experience, and so, opening that gift and reading those words
led to tears welling up in my tired eyes instantly.
Many years have come and gone since that event, yet I still
remember that inscription, and from time to time, to remind myself of needing
to find my own way, I take out the compass and hold it in my hands for a few
minutes, attempting to focus on where my true north is, and remembering to take
heed and not forget that each person is different, and whilst the earth has one
true north, we as individuals all operate with our own manuals, our own
compass, and our own emotional G.P.S.
Some people call it finding your happy place, which I
guess it is, however, it is more to me, about finding your own true north. At some point in our lives, we all need to
come to an understanding of exactly what makes us tick. In my experience, my life until the age of
thirty was just one field of true north.
I was lucky enough to be surrounded by happiness, love, and an endless
supply of one of my favourite pass-times… fun.
Life was a breeze, and then I turned thirty.
The decade from thirty to forty was more like a raw patch
of south rather than a cool breeze from the north. The fun was taken over by responsibility,
motherhood, late nights, early mornings, a push to prove myself from a career
perspective, a world more competitive than I could ever have imagined, and many
personal losses which at times left me reeling.
Until responsibility set in, which was a shock to my
system, life was one big cruise at the front of the ship. I was Rose standing with my arms
outstretched, with a delicious Leonardo DiCaprio behind me. And then came the iceberg.
The path that followed is not really one to be discussed,
but I will say that I am grateful now for that iceberg – it humbled me, brought
me back down to earth with a massive jolt and it forced me to look within for
my happiness. To date, probably my
hardest yet most valuable lesson.
I would argue that I have read more self-help books than
the average librarian; and as much as I at times sound like an iPod full of
positive tunes and sayings, the research and self-analysis has, in hindsight,
served me well. Having crossed the bridge
aptly named “pain, loss and suffering”, I am today almost at the other side of
adversity, and I am too, firmly of the belief that what Aristotle said in his
lifetime was true – “it is possible to fail in many ways...while to succeed is
possible only in one way”. One has to
search, and search, and continue to search, until you find your own true north,
your center, your port in the storm, the core of your being, which equates to
your happy place. When all else is
stripped away from you, and you have only yourself to rely on, to fall back on,
and to be with in the lonely moments, are you happy with the company you
keep? The destination may take a
lifetime to find, but the journey is the part that is truly the experience to
behold.
Monday 16 September 2013
Life in the very fast lane...: The latest article for Inspire magazine. Anyonecan...
Life in the very fast lane...: The latest article for Inspire magazine. Anyonecan...: The latest article for Inspire magazine. Anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. I feel certain that each and ev...
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