antidote for busyness

how often do you use the words: i am too busy. i don't have the time. how often do we brag about our busyness. do you realize that you are feeding something unhealthy inside you that will consume you in the end. it will cost you severely. unless you step in. make the change. be drastic in your actions. or life will pass you by without you knowing it. it is OK to leave certain things undone. it is OK to leave things incomplete. to sit down. to stop. to have an unrushed conversation with someone special. before we complete the task at hand. it is OK to prioritize your family. your relationships. it is OK. the world wants to tell you otherwise. be task orientated. finish what you have started. don't leave it undone. i say rubbish to such speech. take time out. break away. regroup. spend time with yourself. be introspective. find yourself again. before you burn out. before you loose it all. don't be overwhelmed. take control. don't be bullied by other peoples expectations. find contentment in your circumstances. recognize the season and embrace it. make the necessary adjustments. don't allow fear to be the barrier that blocks you. fear can be a deal-breaker. rather conquer the paralyzing worries that eat away your soul. overcome the joy-wrecking fears. take back your life. be specific in your actions. be bold. 

shades of grey

most of us recall days when we lived simple uncomplicated lives. when days were filled with things that mattered. lives lived from the soul. when your creativity was at its pinnacle. days were lived playfully and lovingly. care free. restful. can you recall those days. how long has it been since you have experienced it. too long you might say. too long ago to remember. you live a life filled with resentment and bitterness. unfulfilled dreams. expectation unmet. frustration. life with its ambitions and driven culture has consumed you. you have lost track of your own reality. you trust in other people's opinions to guide you. just to make it through another day. leaving you unfulfilled and angry. incongruity is at the order of the day. every aspect of your life blurring into the next. no clarity. no focus. no control. no antidote for the busyness. shades of grey. 

daddy's girl

a friend once said: when a daughter is born a father is born. these words have echoed in my soul for over two years now since the birth of our precious daughter. nothing could prepare me for that moment she was born. i remember the uncertainty and insecurity you live through. not knowing what to expect. will i know what to do. thinking back of that surreal moment when that little life entered this world. it feels like yesterday. how fast the time has passed. two going on twenty five. nobody could have prepared me for the experience it has been. never in my wildest dreams would i have thought it would be like this. your own flesh and blood. your mannerisms. your smirk. your cheekiness. the overwhelming desire to protect. to provide. to love. an unhealthy sense of silliness. living outside your character. doing things that simply can not be explained. all in the name of fatherhood. it scares me some days that one can experience such strong emotions. yet this relationship between father and daughter can not be explained. it can not be quantified. an invisible bond that will last forever. may i never fail in my task. 

talking to a stranger

to some it happens often. to others it does not happen often. but we all experience it at some time in our lives. that you get to spend hours with a complete stranger. i have been fortunate to travel like many others have. airport. stations. en route. from here to there and everywhere. i like the trains of europe. the buses in africa. the ferries in indonesia. a common place where people meet. people from all different walks of life.  you sit next to somebody or meet someone. only to find out that you are heading in the same direction. a long bus ride. a hop-skip-and-a-jump transfer between destinations. a ten hour flight. and you tag along. it is not always a pleasant experience though cos you get many different (stereo) types of "tag-alongs". you get the nosy old ladies that ask inappropriate questions. you get the self-indulged business men. or the bubbly au pair that simply has the inability to stop talking. you also have the laid back jocks that never remove their sunglasses and with bulging muscles that takes up half of your seat. only to name a few...but the list goes on. my personal favourite...definitely those weirdos. they dress funny. they speak funny. they sit with their legs crossed on the floor. they almost always walk around with ear phones that are twice the size of their heads and seem to be permanently connected to their heads. i just love talking to them. they are by far my preferred stereotype. cos a conversation with them is like speaking to someone from outer space...but in a good way. they are normally on a mission somewhere to go and help some endangered specie or find some form of spiritual enlightenment. i can listen to them for hours. slowly probing and by asking questions you are drawn into their world that is made up of things you did not even know existed.

overcoming the dark past

we all have a story to tell. we all have even more stories we want to hide. the dark horse. the gremlin lurking in the corner. the things we would rather forget. things we would love to wipe from our past. that thing that shames you. the one that haunts your dreams. the images you can't get from your sub-conscience. the thing that you dread people will find out about you. if only. if only i did not... the common train of thought. often the most difficult scenario is forgiving ourselves. for being so stupid. for allowing certain events in our lives. if only. if only i did not.... yet life rolls on. we live on. we cope. we survive. we ignore. we hide. we lie. we substitute. the one event for the next. constantly trying to fill the void inside. fighting the bully inside. trying to silence the voices in our head. yet it is a battle that you will never win. not by yourself. not alone. not even your friends can help. also coping with the pressures from the outside. the new boss. the old girlfriend. the inconsiderate neighbours. nobody to understand. nobody to listen. everybody has an opinion. but nobody listens. only a fool looks in the mirror and when he walks away forgets what he has seen. but how often are we that fool that walks away. forgetting the past. only to falter and fall soon after. don't be that fool. take the time. take a hard long look in the mirror. make the decision. don't walk away the same. there is a Way. there is a Way to free yourself from the past. the darkness that wants to drag you down. a darkness that just doesn't want to leave you alone. turn away from the mirror and walk into the Light. where there is Light there can be no darkness. you don't have to be that guy. you don't have to suffer. you don't have to run. give yourself away. freedom is waiting for those who are willing to walk into the Light. don't let the darkness of the past cover the brightness of your future.

modern day terrorist

we live in a world that is pre-occupied with human rights and the individual. a world that says the expression of the person, the i, is more important of the greater good. we have become so selfish and intertwined with ourselves that it has become impossible to distinguish right form wrong. a world that says discipline is not important. we ignore. we chose not to see. we read of rapists walking free. human trafficking and the slave trade alive and kicking. politicians turning the blind eye and lining nothing but their own pockets. our future looks grim. our children the ones that will suffer. what are we leaving behind. is it not time we stand up for a better tomorrow. regardless of your colour or creed. regardless your country or religion. the time has come for common sense to prevail. for the sake of our children. before their future disappears. we have become modern day terrorists in our own right. we use manipulation to get what we want. we maneuver. we plot. we plan.  we focus only on what we want. our own needs. our own greeds. when last did you consider the need of another before your own comfort. we are causing our own downfall if we don't stand up for what is right. soon it will be to late. we are allowing the fabric of our society to be crippled and polluted by "pseudo" honourable ideas. on the surface it all looks good. yet we swallow the lies. we eat the deception.we are too focused on our own things and believe it is up to the others to fix things. we have pushed the self-destruct button. even on our own lives. emotionally. we have cut others off. burnt bridges. we have dived into the dark abyss of self pity and strife. life has never been this dark. not on the outside. but even worse...not on the inside either. take control. take responsibility. don't outsource your future to someone who is not concerned with your interests. start by making a small difference. cos the small difference will lead to bigger change.

outward focus

we live in times where very few people know their purpose in life. few of us take the time to sit down and ponder this question that leaves most of us with the feeling of inadequacy. we live in a society that feeds our needs and greeds with more than we can acquire or consume. we have become obese filled with our own selfish consumerist lifestyle. our eyes are blind and our ears blocked. we don't hear the cries of the people we trample under our feet. we march on towards a pseudo dream or goal. lust filled hearts. driven by a worldly prescribed form of success. the rat race. we curse the slow driver. forever in a rush. every email marked urgent. only smart phones. no more smart people. burning our proverbial candles from both sides. outgrowing our friends. broken relationships. no more quality time. abandoned families. alienated. distant. alone. lonely. obsessed with success. striving for the next promotion. a bigger salary. no more satisfaction. everything has become fake. plastic. empty. meaningless. our hearts and emotions have become seared. blunt to the greater cry out and around. the lady crying in the parking lot. the abused four year old. the depressed secretary. the boss going through divorce. have we become so insensitive. have we completely lost the plot. what ever happened to neighborly love. or common decency. perhaps if we care less about ourselves and a little more about others around us. perhaps then the world can be a better place. perhaps if our focus is outward. putting others first. esteeming them higher than ourselves.