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.