Posts Tagged ‘life’

Day 3: Samballoons

// July 3rd, 2010 // No Comments » // Cape Town, Inspiration, Life (and the living of it), Love

(And, coincidentally, my favourite day of the year).

balloons

We went to watch the (thrilling) quarter-final at the Cape Town Fan Park, and I handed out these cool samballoons (filled with shaky stuff) to a couple of very happy kids.

I have had the BEST day! Birthdays are so wonderful, aren’t they? One day that reminds you how lucky you are to have such special people in your life, to be so loved, to get so many presents :)

It’s been a day of warm sunshine, abundant messages and phonecalls, chocolate cupcakes (that appeared as if by magic) and great fun. And it’s not over yet! Time to dress up to the nines and go to Madame Zingara for a Love Magic show. Yes please!

Small Daily Challenges

// June 3rd, 2010 // No Comments » // Decisions, Life (and the living of it)

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Those words are all caps on purpose. You see, I think it’s the Small Daily Challenges that turn us into the people we really are.

Allow me to explain…
As most of you know, I recently got a job. This might not sound so extraordinary, except that for the last couple of years I’ve been working for myself – from home – freelancing. That means minimal interactions with people I don’t like, and no work I don’t enjoy. It might sound like a dream-world, but surprisingly, after a while, it starts feeling stagnant. If you only do what you like doing, you never learn how to do anything else. Aaand if you don’tt ever interact with people you don’t gel with, it’s difficult to learn Advanced People Skills (again, all caps intended).

So what I’ve learnt in my two months on the job (woohoo! Two months already!), apart from the heaps and heaps of practical stuff that has made me way more hireable, is that it’s the Small Daily Challenges that shape the kind of person you become. When faced with a snotty colleague, how do you respond? Do you retaliate or smoothe things over? Given the option of badmouthing someone who really deserves it, do you speak out or hold your tongue? In situations that are delicate and full of subtext, do you stir the waters or try to play peacemaker?

I think it’s this delicate dance of learning how to work with other people that turns us into someone who is admirable and trustworthy, or someone who you have to watch every word around. And I am trying, as much as possible, to be the former and not the latter. Who knew? An office job is as much about personal relations as it is about sitting in front of a computer.

I wonder what I’ll learn next?

Photo: Incase

The definition of magic:

// May 21st, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Cape Town, Competition, Inspiration

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Right here.

And the finalists are…. Anonymous.
So you can actually read their magical definitions for what they are.

Who do you think should win the Madame Zingara tickets?
Which do you think best defines magic?

1. The sheer joy and excitement of being surprised, entertained, mesmerised, impressed and blown away by the unexpected and miraculous.

2. Magic is something unexpected, something that surpasses all expectation. Magic leaves you in awe, unable to rationally explain it. Magic forces you out of your comfort zone, and leaves you wanting more!

3. Magic is a moment of glory, a gasp of joy, a clap of hands, and delight.
An indescribable feeling of witnessing something that moves, amazes and awes.
Magic is available in all moments, and more so in others.
Its a view, a willingness to believe, a turning towards the miraculous…

4. Magic to me is when something beautiful catches my eye causing me to question what reality actually is…

5. M – agnificent
A – lignment of
G – igantic
I – ntention and
C- reativity

Photo: Noel Zia Lee

The tiny things

// May 17th, 2010 // No Comments » // Cape Town, Inspiration, Life (and the living of it)

rainbow
I’ve realised that it’s the tiny things in life that make my day.

Driving to work this morning, the clouds looked like they’d been splashed across the sky with luminescent pearly paint. The outline of a cathedral against the brightest blue of the sky looked like something out of a painting. And when I pulled in to work, I saw the tiniest scrap of a rainbow lurking among the clouds. (Can you see it? A little pixellated, but it’s there!)

Lovely!

I had a very, very lazy weekend and that, too, made me so happy. Lying in bed reading with my man, lingering over a cup of tea on the verandah and looking at the mountain, feasting on a lazy lunch with my siblings… I’ve come to realise that, for me, it’s all these tiny little moments that make up a happy life.

Don’t you think?

It’s Earth Day today.

// April 22nd, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Blogs, Decisions, Life (and the living of it), Nature

What are you doing about it?

How about heading over to FLOW (For Love of Water) and making the FLOW Promise:

WebPromise

It couldn’t be easier – just click through to http://forloveofwater.co.za/promise/ and write your name, make the promise and tell others how you’re acting for your love of water (there are no wrong answers, I promise).

Our bodies are over 70% water. Maybe it’s time we started thinking about that…

What do you think?

Growing up…

// April 19th, 2010 // 3 Comments » // Decisions, Life (and the living of it), Time

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It’s true. The inevitable has finally happened. I’m growing up.

This week alone, I’ve applied for a vehicle loan, chopped an onion, worn a suit and am embarking on My First Ever Business Trip. If that’s not grown up, I don’t know what is! I mean, an onion? Do you know how much I hate onions?

And the vehicle loan! Do you know what that means? I’m buying a car! My first car ever. At 27 and a half (pretty good going, hey? I’ve managed to survive on a scooter and various boyfriends-with-cars for a decade now).

Let’s not even talk about the business trip! Well, we can’t, because I’ve only just left and am currently waiting at the airport to depart for Johannesburg, city of gold (and business) to go to meetings with various people. Business people.

In a suit.

Sheesh!

Photo: grongar

A sudden brainwave:

// December 4th, 2009 // No Comments » // Blogs, Inspiration, Life (and the living of it)

I’ve been worrying, the last couple of days, about our budget. I hate money worries, they make me feel all stressed and wound up inside. So I went looking for some stress relief – a little wisdom. And my favourite wisdom-giver of the moment (especially to do with money and energy) is Abraham-Hicks. Check out their website here, you can watch videos, read excerpts from their books, or get a breakdown of their philosophy.

I downloaded three short videos to watch, and one of them gave me what I like to call a ‘brain explosion’ – a sudden realisation of something that should be really obvious.

She’s talking about how we all know what it is we want, and often spend our days complaining about what we want and how we don’t have it. I think, in general, I’m pretty good at not complaining, but I caught myself last night saying to Mark how I don’t know how we got to this point – of needing to be careful of our budget – and I don’t think it’s fair because we’ve been giving it our 100%, and I don’t want to go back to having to consciously stop myself worrying about money, like we were doing in the month before our trip when we didn’t know if it would be possible. Sounds a tad like complaining, don’t you think?

You know what he said? ‘It doesn’t matter how we got here.’

At the time I didn’t really pay attention to what he was saying (I’m really good at continuing a one-way discussion when I’m on a roll), but essentially this is what Esther was saying this morning: You have to stop beating the drum of how you got here and how things used to be and how much you want them to be different, or you can’t receive what you’ve been asking for. By constantly looking over your shoulder and dwelling in the past, or worrying about the future, you never give the Universe (or God, or whatever you’d like to call it), a spare second to break through and give you what you’re asking for.

The solution? Instead of worrying about what it is you want, focus on the future in a hopeful, positive way. Look forward to the life you’ve asked for coming your way. In many ways, this is exactly what our Round the World trip is about – we looked forward to it for months and months. But it’s easy to slip back into old habits, and I think that’s what’s happened when it comes to money. I feel like if I don’t worry about it then the situation won’t right itself. But in truth, as long as we’re doing all we can to earn as we travel, worrying makes absolutely no sense. And it certainly doesn’t make a difference!

So from now on I’m focusing on the future that I want. Care to join me?

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A big bloggy realisation:

// November 17th, 2009 // 7 Comments » // Blogs, Inspiration, Links, travelling

I don’t actually think I’m a good blogger.

It just hit me!

Take a look at some of my favourite blogs, the ones I still read even though I’m in foreign countries and have sketchy internet connection…

* Naturally Nina – http://www.naturallynina.com/
This has grown into my favourite blog of the moment… Nina writes honest, heartfelt and inspiring blog posts about life, love and everything else. And her blog is beautifully designed.

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* A Cup of Jo – http://www.joannagoddard.blogspot.com/
I hate that I love this blog so much (because so many other thousands do), but what can I say? Joanna is a master blogger – probably one of the best out there. Despite her many followers, the blog feels personal and heartfelt, and she always has hundreds of fabulous links all over the web: seriously, you could save hours just by looking at the treasures she’s unearthed for you.

* Color Me Katie – http://www.colormekatie.blogspot.com/
This New York photographer is zany and playful, and posts beautifully photographed, wildly colourful short blogs about her life and loves. A delightful break to any day.

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Now, what do all these blogs have that make them intensely readable? Short, snappy blog posts that are highly visual and that engage the reader.
Now take a glance over at Sweet Life, the blog I’ve been regularly updating as we travel around the world: www.justtheplanet.com/sweet-life

High-quality, well-written blog posts, even if I do say so myself (this was what I was told to write when I first started a blog). Original content and all that jazz, but not a whole lot of images and I just don’t know how to write those snappy blog posts that make people feel they have to comment. And so it hit me: I’m not really a blogger. I’m a writer, yes, and I’ve been loving writing travel pieces and trying to paint word pictures about the places we’ve been visiting. But at heart, this is the kind of writing that comes naturally to me – far too many words, and something you’d read in a book or a magazine. Not ideal for blogging.

Now how am I supposed to fix that? Tell me, please!

PS – I joined NaNoWriMo and took up the challenge of writing a 50 000 word novel in one month. But it’s 17 days in and I’ve only had one day when I’ve been able to get my hands on the computer not for work but for play. Eek.

Finished.

// August 28th, 2009 // No Comments » // Life (and the living of it), travelling

I’m finished. Exhausted, yes, and done with packing, yes (nearly), and done with goodbyes, yes.

We move out tomorrow, and then spend three heavenly no-packing-up, no-million-things-to-do days at my brother’s, so I’ll have time to spend with the baby (my neice), which makes me very happy! And time to unwind a little, and catch my breath. I feel as if I’m extremely tightly strung at the moment. I had forgotten how stressful moving was!
Now combine moving with trying to plan 9 months on the road… Yikes.

I also just wanted to say, in this brief moment of respite in between boxes, that I’ll still be popping in here now and again, but that my main bloggy emphasis will be over at Sweet Life (once again, for those who haven’t been paying attention! www.justtheplanet.com/sweet-life)

It’s such an integral part of our journey, the personal perspective, that I don’t want to dilute it by writing on two blogs at once and splitting myself in two. That said, sometimes I’ll think of something particularly suited to this blog (I’m sure) and I’ll write here too – so don’t stop visiting, please.

It’s funny, throughout all this extremely busy, frantic, preparation time I’ve felt stressed at the amount of work to do, but by no means stressed about the upcoming journey. I’m ready for it. It’s such a lovely feeling…

I hope you’ll come follow us and join in the journey!

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A quiet, restful spot…

// July 14th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Blogs, Decisions, Inspiration, Life (and the living of it)

I’m feeling a tad overwhelmed, I must be honest, with all the many many many things we need to get done before we leave IN 7 WEEKS!! 7 weeks. Crikey Moses.

My mind is an ever-scrolling list of Things to Do.

So when I feel like this I like to take a deep breath, in and out, and find a quiet, restful spot to dwell in for a few moments.

Here is my latest – The Way of the Happy Woman: http://www.thewayofthehappywoman.com/

It’s the blog of a yoga teacher and lovely soul trying her best to navigate life and be a happy woman. So much of it resonates with me… Her constant search for the right balance in life, the need for rest when life gets too exciting, the necessity of taking time out to nourish your soul.

I spend ten minutes on her blog and I feel like I’ve caught my breath. If that’s not a gift, I don’t know what is!

WOHW pattern_blog

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