Food for Thought 2018

I have my box.

It’s a comfy sort of box.

It’s a protect me from the storm sort of box.

It’s a cozy box even if it is a little cramped.

And it doesn’t have a view.

Okay, I hate my little box, but I stay there because outside is more than a little scary.

 

People are always saying, “Think out of the box”.

It wasn’t until last Tuesday I heard, “Forget the box. There is no box.”

Damn straight.

 

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I was lucky enough to attend Ads24 Food for Thought 2018 event. It wasn’t only brilliant and eye-opening, but it forced me to evaluate my life and whether safety and boredom are really an adequate substitute for danger and excitement. I realise that I may have got too big for my box.

 

Between Dawie Roodt, Chief Economist for the Efficient Group, Prof. Nick Binedell, and scenario planner, Clem Sunter, my (usually goldfishlike) attention was caught in a web.

 

My box blew to smithereens.

 

Things are changing, our world is moving back to a pure economics, supply and demand model.

 

That the way we’ve been doing things like giving away our power to banks and governments and career politicians is short sighted and short lived.

 

For the first time I saw Donald Trump, not as sign of the idiocy of the human race, but as global movement against career politics. A stand against bureaucracy. Maybe, he isn’t the right face, but he sure as hell is shaking things up.

 

It’s time to create your own job, not rely on someone else to find a box to fit you into.

It’s time for an Armageddon, a paradigm shift.

Either you reach our grab it and ride that wave with sheer adrenaline or you drown.

 

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Beyond the River

What happens when you put two very different men, from different cultures, with nothing to connect them but a love for the sport they share and the ambition to succeed?

This morning I was to come up a with witty, clever, sharp little line for the new movie “Beyond the River.”

Having watched the trailer and the interviews for more perspective, I somehow find myself wishing that I hadn’t. It would’ve been a lot easier to be witty and funny without having sat in my office chair with tears falling down my face.

It’s an amazing story inspired by true events.

“Beyond the River is the nail-biting true story of two men whose quest to win gold connects them on and beyond the river. It is based on the story of Piers Cruikshanks of Dabulamanzi Canoe Club and Siseko Ntondini of the Soweto Canoe and Recreation Club who, against all odds, won gold in the 2014 Dusi Canoe Marathon.”

Take a few minutes and watch the trailer…

As a new rower (not canoer) and the parent of a committed rower, this movie pulls all sorts of heartstrings for me. And although many of the rowers I know would scoff at creating any sort of link between the two sports, this story so evocatively communicates the bond that exists between any crew (whether they row forwards or backwards, with blades or a paddle).

The first year I watched the Germiston High School Rowing Club and Soweto Rowing Club row they were outclassed and outnumbered in every event by the elite private schools on the water. For most of them it was the very first time they’d rowed on the water, having trained only on second and third-hand rowing machines. It’s been 3 years and they’re bringing home gold in every regatta. Their commitment, loyalty and sheer tenacity prove that you can achieve the impossible, if you only believe and work towards your dreams with every ounce of mind, body and spirit.

Now, somehow I have to pour all this emotion out and get back to short, snappy, witty headlines.

Find out more about this incredible journey:

Facebook: @BeyondtheRiverMovie

Web: https://beyondtheriver.co.za/

Monkey Love

Such a beautiful heartwarming reunion.

via What Happened When A Gorilla Saw The Man Who Raised Him, 5 Years Later..

Pick your battles.

If the Universe feels she has to continue sending me messages, I must make an effort to listen.

This is because the Universe is like a mother trying to get a small child to pay attention.

She starts out softly, gets harder and then has to hammer it home with a 2×4.

Many of these things are good old common sense, but sometimes the most obvious things are the very ones we miss.

Weekend Wisdom

A new project for me.

Trying to distill the lessons I learn each day into something that will inspire me tomorrow.

Happy Holidays

It’s that time of year when I look back at the last one and forward to the next.

2014 is my year of new beginnings, new adventures and new experiences.

This year I will break free of my self-imposed exile.

No more letting life pass me by.

This year I’ll grab life with both hands and dive in the deep end.

Maybe I’ll even go skydiving!

(Yeah, maybe in 2015?)

These are my guidelines for next year.

They’re all common sense, but sometimes common sense eludes me and I need a little reminding.

I must also say thank you to all my friends on WordPress who have seen me through melodrama, ups, downs and in-betweens over the past year.

You know who you are, thank you for your smiles, laughter, comments.

May you all have a magnificent time over the holidays and celebrate life, friends, family, snow, sunshine and tomorrow.

Now I have to go shopping and come with something creative to serve for dinner tomorrow night.

At the rate I am going my poor guests will have to bring and braai!