Potatoes and MEMORIES

I love when stories come to life. When you see someone come alive as they recall a memory, share a great memoir. When it seems you or they have been transported right back in time to that very moment. Personally, it seems a privilege to share our own personal adventures and in turn, remember how beautiful life can be. Today, a conversation pertaining to potatoes (and vodka, naturally) sparked some fun moment sharing and thinking.  Thinking of magnificent memories, waiting to surface and come to life again. Reflecting on how fortunate life and my road in it has been

I recall the day my dear friend and I snuck into his mums convertible and drove down to Clifton Beach on a gorgeous Sunday – the top down and his wheelchair sticking out the back. We had cocktails at a  hip restaurant nestled on the rocks and Italian ice-creams by the point.  Watching the tourist, giggling at them, and wondering what my overseas journey ahead would bring.

Or that time after a fresh snowfall where I took the kiddos (the 3 I au-paired for) to the large field off the bike path. We walked under the arched trees with the snow reflecting diamonds from the sun sweeping through the branches. The soccer field pure white with no sign of human touch till we all lay in the fresh fall making snow angles. Looking up at the sky with enormous playful grins and having a small hand wrapping little fingers in mine. It was a perfect day, a perfect moment with 3 people I loved so much and still do.

These moments of our time, making it ours, making it one great story.

SO IN LOVE . . . With London Grammar

I think it’s more a little obsessed. The kind of obsessiveness when you find a new song, a new artist and put it on repeat every opportunity you can get. The kind that you feel you connect to immediately and want to be the soundtrack of your life. The kind that raptures your soul and fills your earphones with more than just words.

My first listen of LG came via one of the many mixes I listen to on 8tracks (are you following the LL mixes?) and was immediately drawn to the mystery and indie air. With her deep tone and their instrumental genius, the British pop trio makes music for the heart and soul.  Stay Awake & Wasting my young years #onrepeat

Longing, loving, leaving: Those are the boundaries of the melancholy, impeccable pop universe that London Grammar has built for itself. 

DOWNLOAD Hey Now FREE here

LISTEN to all their marvels here

That TAKE BACK Moment

You know that moment, when you wish you could dig yourself  a largely elaborate hole and stay there for a while. Swipe the milliseconds of unrealized hastiness and erase it instantly. Hoping that everyone will forget and that you can climb out feeling somewhat normal and not filled with guilt. That moment when you wish you were funnier so your sarcasm was lighthearthed or that you could just be the quiet little one in the corner.
 

Sigh, I had a moment. More than just my usual self confessed blonde moments. Perhaps one with all the above. A second where I attempted to be humorous in a when someone wonderful, beautiful, and honest was hurting unbeknown to me. Unintentionally and now regretfully hurting them. It was a small moment but to me seemed and still seems tenfold. 

At times, I think we (well, I know I do!) tend to get so wrapped up in our own occasions we tend forget to see what’s going on around us. If we stopped or pondered for just a second we could see so much more and how our ensuing actions will affect those around us. That perhaps the time for a small joke is just not appropriate. Sigh, and double sigh.

So as I brush off my bruised shoulders I hope this is my only take back moment for the year.

The DISMAY of NEGATIVITY

You know those people who just seem to complain about everything. From how hot or cold it is, to their never ending chronic weekly pain. Ok, some people have legitimate problems so they are excluded from this stero type. But I, much to my dismay, have become one of THOSE people. Ugh! No! Why! I have found myself hitting gloomy buttons about everything and it’s getting me down. I don’t like it. Not one bit.

I don’t know if it’s the perfect blend of long hours, an injured back, the excessive summer heat and unnecessary worrying . . . but it’s all got to come to a halt very quickly, otherwise I might just have to give myself a high five . . . in the face . . . with a chair (got to love em e-cards!) And though I am fully aware that I do have a lot going on – much of it self inflicted – and that I put high pressure on myself, what I have to be thankful for supersedes all of this and all the the complaints. That I have so much more than so many out there. I have my health, a roof over my head, food in my belly, and people who love and care for me. Doesn’t that count for SO much more – DUH! Well that’s a no brainer!

It took a text message to the one I love for me to see the so called light or have my clouds-parting in the sky moment (don’t you love those!). You have that reflection when you realize and wonder how it turned so quickly and how it damn well did. But I’m glad I did because I cannot even begin to imagine what I sound like expressing all those chit chatters of negativity. Ok, I guess I can as I hear my voice all day.

My philosophy is taking every situation and seeing something positive in it. Seeing that any complaint can be taken with a happy dose of positivity. That perhaps it’s not really as bad as you think. That someone out wishes they could be complaining that the air-con is too cold.

*She's a mess of gorgeous chaos, you can see it in her eyes*

10 (Silly & Serious)Things I Have Learned This Week

ONE

*Being positive is contagious and affects everyone around you in more ways than you can ever imagine.

TWO

*Finding 100% cranberry juice and salted cashews in South Africa is harder than finding a good pair of jeans. #firstworldproblemsinathirdworldcountry

THREE

*I seem to have a slight fear of complaining about something I’ve spent a shyt amount of money on.

FOUR

*I have a sneaky wish that the gym new-years-resolutioners trip on the treadmill. Nasty, I know. Naturally no one would be injured, they’d be offering free entertainment that’s all!

FIVE

*Rose Lemonade – just try it! Just saying .

SIX

*That a bad hair day truly does change everything about the way you present and feel about yourself. 

SEVEN

*Finishing an entire Lindt chocolate slab (dark chocolate with sea salt) is one of the most gratifying things in the world. No such thing as a block or two, no maam!

EIGHT

*Prayers can be answered . . . I found a delicious wheat free muesli! Say what!

NINE

*My work space is one of my favorite places to be . . . from the people to the things I create everyday.

TEN

 *A smile goes a long way.

Let out a big sigh of relief as it's nearly the weekend . . .  Happy Friday!

Getting Over It All

As I mentioned in my Here it is 2014 post, there were so many factors I faced over 2013 which I could not control. Things, logistics, friends, family . . . we can control what and who we surround ourselves with, but only to a point. 

And as a self proclaimed OCD-perfectionist- control-workaholic freak I find these intractable factors are a large part of the mild anxiety I experience. Though I'm coming to terms with it, it provokes disappointment and immense annoyance in myself for "having" it. I can't control it and I get it due to things I cannot control. And when I look at it put that way, I begin to realize that if I let go a little, perhaps things don't have to be so darn complicated.

That letting go of the small silly stuff | baggage | concerns may not be as insignificant as they seem. They can be liberating and take an entire world of weight off our shoulders. 

When my dad came to visit me in the USA when I graduated, I learned a great deal about letting go. In particular, I was so structured in my ways and habits that it almost consumed me. It ruled my comings and goings. From there onward I promised myself I'd be more spontaneous, flexible, and adjusting. It worked wonders and I found an enormous gap in my life being filled. I know all too well I've got to apply this to so much more in my life. 

It's happening slowly but surely . . . I'm discovering so much more each day and every opportunity I have to just go with the ebb and flow, with my own flair of course!

Here it is . . . 2014

There is something quite rejuvenating and nerdy about my yearly ritual of purchasing a new daily planner, writing in the birthdays & special dates on the fresh pages, and the memories with reflections it brings with it. Having the opportunity to take in the past year and see the moments on paper. This year it was quite terrifying. In many ways I'm dazzled my the immense growth and lessons I've learned but disheartened by the events, especially those which were ultimately out of my control.  Having a "holy smokes, how the hell did I get through it all" moment where an enormous rush of realization disposes itself and it's overwhelming, overpowering. It's been a year of great loss but incredible gain.

But here I am. Here we all are. In a new year hoping for this fresh start and odd motivation of new beginnings. Not much really changes yet we see this tradition as this great change. But then I like it. This crisp raw beginning. I've never wished a year away, but I am relieved 2013 is over and cannot wait for what's ahead in 2014. And though I don't make new years resolutions, I enjoy the goals I set for myself and watching myself achieve them through the year. Even more so, watching those around me do the same.

For 2014, I hope to learn a new language, dive even deeper into my career and the opportunities it's already brought my way, and continue to be comfortable in my own being. But more importantly, find the gap to allow me to return home. I start with a new apartment and space to be my own again, even for only a brief time.

Let's make this a special year. A year we take adventures, laugh more with loved ones, and discover more about ourselves, others, and the beautiful world we love in.

Happy 2014!