HERE'S TO SIMPLICITY

My two cents for this chilly Friday morning. 

Since returning to South Africa, I have gained much insight into so many aspects of life - personal, social and emotional. One in particular which has been on my mind all week, is that of how we perceive success and that the perception seems to be surprisingly geographical. The past few months have opened my eyes as to how different we all see it, but how success in this particular area is only measured by your A: Job and B: Car you drive. Fall under any of these and you haven't made it - YOU'RE OUT!  Please don't get me wrong, I am fully aware, and perhaps even a little embarrassed, that I too have had limited my own comprehension of what success is by the cities I have resided in and what the internal society deemed was success. But it's incredibly refreshing to know that my approach has changed, evolved. And I like. I feel very content with it.

While living in Roanoke, VA; I realized that success is not about what you own, but knowing you do something you love, are surrounded by those who would be there for you no matter what and assurance that you live a life which is fulfilling in some way or another. When I relocated to the Star City, I removed so many material items from my life which was SO liberating. Even a TV! (Yes, I came out alive with living with no television for over 3 years and I LOVED IT!) With the few items I had (Rule was necessities only | ability to pack up everything in a day) in my little apartment, I was so content and happy. The real triumph (and do I dare say success) was the fact that I was doing it all on my own with no baggage or material items to keep me tied down. #winning

With the high level of poverty here in SA, I'm even more thankful for the little that I have. It's opened my eyes to what is genuinely important in life. The moment which made this even more apparent, was when I overheard two waste removal workers at a charity walk trying to comprehend how one family or even person, lived in the 3 story home (the location is in one of the most affluent areas in Cape Town) they were admiring. It was a concept they both seemed to be somewhat overwhelmed with. And in turn, made me realize the excess we all live in and that how we personify ourselves with it may be consuming us in a way we are not even aware of. 

So here's to Simplicity! The Simple Life.