Category: Life

Changes and Travels

It’s been a hectic start to the year!  My poor brain has moments when it just feels like it wants to shut down.  So I gave it a break from blogging and a few other endeavours for fear of overloading it.  Time to hit the road again so welcome back and enjoy the ride 🙂

My first two months of 2018 has been filled with change and challenges and lots of excitement.  I am thrilled to say that March will not be any different!  In fact, I was sitting in a meeting this afternoon which was attended by a new director.  Turns out he is a very curious mind and approached the topic under discussion from a very different angle than I had encountered in a while.  It was a refreshing and energising change.  It got me thinking about how easy it is to develop tunnel vision when you are constantly surrounded by the same people or get yourself into a rut when you get into a routine.

Now don’t get me wrong. Some routines are a good thing.  They help give your day structure so that you do what you have to do so that you can do what you want to do.  (Got that one from Denzil Washington on Oprah 🙂 ) They also help you implement good habits that you may want to instil in yourself.  So yes, routines definitely have their place.  Some routines eventually just become a bore though and before you know it, you are feeling like a hamster in a wheel.  Round and round you go.  I feel like have been that little hamster for a while now.

Then 31st December rolled around.  I saw in the new year with my loved ones as well as a few new people.  It was the first time in about 7 years that I had stepped out of my comfort zone to see in the new year.  It was as if that small change has triggered lots of  new experiences for me.  I don’t always realise that I am having a new experience or experiencing something familiar in a new way until the moment is over.  Fortunately, I do realise it at some point after and am able to take a moment to be grateful for the experience.

What’s all this new stuff you ask…well…where shall I start?  I have rekindled an old friendship and bonded with some of my favourite cousins.  I largely only see my cousins at family gatherings as we live far apart.  It has been refreshing and fulfilling bonding with them all.  These are people that I can be myself with and they love me anyway and that means the world to me. They also enlighten me by sharing their life experiences with and challenge me when I am going off on a tangent.  I love it!

I have finally fufilled my promise to take my son to the museum.  It’s probably seems like a small thing but it was a big deal to him.  We both love museums so I was pretty excited to go as well. I must say that it was much smaller than we anticipated although they were renovating so perhaps that’s why.  Mr suddenly got a bee in his bonnet about seeing snakes so he ended up missing an entire section (just in case…sigh).  The joys of having a smart munchkin who can also be a bit OCD about certain things…lol.  He makes my day everyday though!

About 2 weeks ago I had the privilage of spending a few days in Dubai for work.  All very last minute and very daunting as we were hosting our global VP.  I was beside myside.  I had never had to have breakfast, lunch and super with my VP for 3 straight days before. Glad I had the opportunity though.  She is a remarkable woman with loads of knowledge that she enjoys sharing.  It was a huge learning curve.  In those 3 short days, I also fell in love with Lebonese food, rode a camel, saw springboks in the desert(!), marvelled at the architecture (especially the Burj Khalifa) and was floored by the sheer size of the Dubai Mall. Oh wait…I had a cappuccino with camel’s milk as well (Super rich!).  Totally by accident of course but hey it counts as a new experience and I also had my most expensive cappuccino at the hotel. I could have bought 3 for the same price in South Africa!

My trip home was a daytime flight so for the first time I was able to see the landscapes we were flying over.  As we flew over the desert just out side Dubai, I was amazed to see that every “farmhouse” had a tree or two next to it.  The landscape varies over the Middle East but it is all brown.  Once you enter Africa, the landscape changes to green and stays that way. Beautiful to see.  I love Africa!

#travelling #Godscountry #DubaitoDurban #groundedafrican #african
Saudi Arabia to Tanzania to South Africa

Well,  that’s just a taste of some of the change that has happened in my world of late.  Like I said, lots more still to come so do stay tuned.  Better yet…sign up via email so that you don’t miss out.  I promise your email will not be shared or sold.  I hate spam as much as you do.

I’ll leave you with a Kossi proverb about change…#Africanproverb #african #groundedafrican #change #life

5 things I would change if I had to had to go back into time

I was looking at my skin in the mirror the other day and thanking God for the good genes that He has blessed me with.  Unfortunately, genetics is not enough to keep my skin looking good. It definitely lays a great foundation though! 🙂  I haven’t always looked after my skin. In fact, as with most things, I started my face care routine a little late in life. This got me thinking about some of the tweaks I would make if I could live my life over.
 
#1. Don’t forget your sunscreen!
As a kid, summer was my favourite time of year.  I spent many hours in the sun swimming and playing outside.  As an adult, I have spent many hours at the beach and driving in the sun.    I never ever applied sunscreen in all that time. Shock and Horror!   No doubt it’s the reason for the damage I see on my face today.   It would be a lot worse if I didn’t eventually heed the warnings out there about the dangers of sun exposure.  SPF50 is now my friend.  Remember…it’s never too late to start the habit either.  I know it sucks trying to find one that doesn’t leave you looking ghostly if you are a person of colour. It looks like the companies are getting better at it.   We live in hope I  guess.
#2. Don’t smoke
Let me start by saying that I LOVED smoking.  I loved the ritual of smoking.  I loved lighting the cigarette and taking that first deep pull on it.  I loved smoking while drinking coffee (my other vice) or after a good meal in particular.   Yip…you get it…I LOVED smoking.  The thing is though, if I had never started, I would never have known what I was missing out on.  It’s been almost 5 years since I stopped and I will never go back.  Stopping was not easy and brought on a host of other issues so nope…I am not going to start once more.  I have no desire to go through that drama again.  This leads me to #3…
#3. Be an exercise junky!
Here’s the thing…once my life as a student ended, I became quite sedentary.  I also had a car so walking hectically long distances was no longer necessary.  Initially, the weight crept on.  You could still find me dancing the night away in the club over the weekends. The impact of having a car was negligible.  I stopped clubbing.  Well…that’s when the problem really started. The weight started creeping on faster and faster.  I was in denial.   I had been thin my entire life.  “This can’t be happening to me”.  I did nothing.  Then…I had a baby.  The weight piled on.  Only then did it twig that I better get my A into G and move.  I lost some.  I gave up smoking…sigh.  I gained loads more than I had lost!   Yip…Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho it’s off the gym I go.  I’ve got this!  This war I will win.  An exercise junky I will become!
 
#4. Take more risks
Those of you that know me, know that I can be quite scared of my own shadow at times.  I have probably missed out on a lot of opportunities in various areas of my life because taking a risk scared me.  There are times when I see my son been afraid of taking risks. My heart breaks because I know that he is missing out on something exciting that he will actually enjoy.   Sometimes he surprises me and faces his fears head-on.  That’s when he inspires me to face mine 🙂 
#5.  Fail more often
One of the reasons I didn’t take more risks when I was younger was because I feared failure.  I was soooo embarrassed to fail.  I am also a control freak.  The problem with taking a risk is that you don’t know how things will turn out.  Being in control has kept me feeling safe.  Life is short though and safe has become boring so my new life rules have become:
  • “I won’t get if I don’t ask”
  • “I won’t learn if I don’t try”
  • “I can’t win it if I’m not in it”
This is the tip of the iceberg for me.  Striving to give my son a great life experience has forced me to question my beliefs. I often have to unlearn things so that I can relearn them, especially through his eyes.  The world becomes a marvellous place again when looked at through the eyes of a child.
I leave you with an African Proverb …
#africanproverb #groundedafrican #african #blog #learning #life #quotescreator
Photographer: M. Frankson Venue: Kenneth Stainbank Nature Reserve, Durban

 

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Quality time with my little human

Holidays…what a pleasure!  It’s been a week and I have to say the time I have spent chilling with my little man has been priceless!  Not only have we been out and about spending time with family and friends but we have also been just been enjoying each other’s company.

This time with him has given me the opportunity to really “see” him and pay attention to the person he is becoming.  I must admit that I am blown away but what I see.  I see a big boy who is evolving into an impressive young man.  Of course I am biased but, at the same time, I definitely see lots to be proud of.

If I look back at the year past, he really got to grips with the concept of self motivation. He embraced affirmations and, on New Year’s Eve, was very keen to participate in a Law of Attraction exercise. He listed the things he wanted to let go of and the things he wanted to achieve or change in 2018. In a nutshell, he has matured a lot.

He has such a sense of humour as well. We were actually just chatting about the year ahead and the importance of discipline and focus.  When we were done, I hug him and tell him that I love and him and that I want him to prosper. His response, in his driest tone,..”like Absa”.  I laughed so hard.  (Absa is the name of a bank in SA that promises to help you prosper).  He hits me with these deadpan jokes of his when I least expect it. Cracks me up everytime.

This time has also been spent reconnecting with old friends and with family. My dad came to see in my birthday with me. We spent the evening playing monopoly. We all had such a blast that we completely lost track of time that night. Another of my favourite moments was driving down to the farm with my son. It’s about a 2 hour drive one way. The scenery is amazing. We had lunch with my aunts and their families. Lots of laughter was shared as well as great food. The time spent with them was so worth the drive.

Unfortunately, it’s time to return to school and work. 😔 I return feeling grounded. Centered. Clear on how I want to spend my year. I probably could have done with another week of rest but it’s ok. Some rest is better than none.😁 I hope that you have had the opportunity to rest as well this festive season. We forget how important it is to look after ourselves so that we have the energy to keep grinding and looking after our loved ones.

I’ll leave you with another African proverb I found…#africanproverb #groundedafrican #african #life #motherhood