A Lesson In Life

People come into our lives for a reason and sometimes it is for us to gain a lesson. Sometimes it may be from a person we do not like or someone who caused us pain, but we have to remember that they were also on a path to learn a lesson from us. So if we can look past the hurt and the pain and embrace the lesson then we can exalt ourselves on our path. It’s not really a forgiveness in saying it’s okay what you did but it’s your response to what they did which is the ultimate lesson. So embrace those people in your life and allow that lesson to come in full light because what they taught you gave you strength, wisdom to go forward and to not make those errors again and to not get caught in those traps again. To understand where to draw the line in the sand. The more you concentrate on the hurt and the pain and the suffering you are going through or the chaos you had to endure, the more it stays in your reality. So pay attention to those negative thoughts that you have. Rather focus on the positive thoughts as this will bring healing. Look at the things going on in your life honestly, understanding the lesson of it all. Understanding the shields we have made for ourselves, breaking free of those bonds. Remember you can break free of those bonds at any time and move forward. We need to accept it’s the end of a path. It is time to start anew. It is time to take that step forward. It is time to embrace our lessons, understand them for what they are and exalt ourselves on our path.

Just Salt Water And Desert

A song that has really taken my fancy…is the soundtrack for the up and coming movie “Leading Lady” and features an actress from Britain, Katie McGrath and our “home boy” – a well known Afrikaans singer, Bok van Blerk. Perhaps the reason for me really liking this song is that in a way I can relate to this song. A kind of role reversal if you may, in that I picture me in the shoes of the guy and the girl being the guy. To explain myself a lot clearer – I often find myself thinking of a very special guy who was a part of my life a couple of years ago. There are days that I really miss him. He is in London now. So as the video begins the scenes of London are quite apt. The days that I really miss him I would say the words to the song portray the way I feel. The gist of the song is – I will try and translate as best I can from Afrikaans to English – as follows:

I am now just like a man, battered ruins to where there once was life, a heathen whose lips could vanish in yours in a time, in a place, and receive repentance again. The wind pump/wind mill turns but there is nothing but dust in the faucets, I need your love to quench my thirst, because over here there are only tears. (The chorus goes) I am thirsty, I get lost in the streets where I live, I am thirsty, I want to get drunk on your wine, but here where I live it’s just salt water and desert, just salt water and desert. I am now still just like a man, a deserted house where there once was life, walls filled with companionship, at a place, at a time, you were my Oasis in the desert. The windmill turns, I battle to sleep, I need your bosom to rest my head, here’s just stones and sand…chorus 3x…I want to get drunk on your wine.

The Sounds Of Sunset

My ultimate best in summer is sitting on the patio at the end of the day listening to the sounds of sunset.  What does a sunset sound like? Does the question make any sense at all? How can a sunset “sound” like anything? How can one describe this? It all begins when the sun begins to slip from the sky and disappears, but just before sunset, there is this sudden rush of activity. The day shift starts looking for a place to spend the night whilst frantically searching out that last mouthful of food and then with the trees in silhouette, as the sun sets and darkness looms everything quietens down, the last to make a noise are the guinea fowl who wait till it is just dark and then they finally settle down, and there is a moment’s peace before the night shift takes over. There is a moment of silence, but it is also not really a silence. Something is always making a sound even if it’s a leaf rustling in the wind. Then all of a sudden you begin to hear the first sounds of the African night. The sound is a cacophony of insects and it is this that gets in your head, it’s the crickets chirping and the bull frogs croaking. The Nightjars screeching in the distance. It's difficult for me to adequately describe it because so much of it is the emotions it invokes. Words just don't do the sounds any justice. So, once again the question is “What does a sunset sound like?” What I can say is that to me a sunset sounds peaceful.

Listening

Some people are easily upset. As soon as you tell them something, they have a reaction. In the end, it gets easier not to tell them anything. Months, even years, can go by with two individuals failing to communicate. They may be in regular contact - yet if crucial points are never discussed...neither will know what they need to. Maybe it is time for saying what needs to be said. Perhaps it is not necessarily you who has to do all the talking. You may need to do some of the listening.

Misgivings

I have many misgivings. There may be far more to a particular situation than meets the eye. It seems as if each time I answer one question I come up with two more. Yet, for all that's vague and uncertain, one thing remains constant. One point of reference is fixed. I have to let that be my anchor in the ocean of confusion. I must not haul it up in a moment of false fear and then start drifting aimlessly. If I now cling to my most important emotional priority, everything will make perfect sense.