Inspiration

On weekend getaways… and pushing ‘reset’…

~ WorkFoodHome ~ 2 Comments
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The entrance at KolKol

My blog has been a bit quiet lately – but I have had a very good excuse!  It’s been almost a year since I’ve had some proper leave from work;  I’m not just talking of a day here or there – but rather about proper time for some quality r&r.  So when stress and frustration levels reached boiling point a few weeks ago, I decided that this was a perfect time for a a break.

Last year we had the holiday of a lifetime – barging on the Canal du Midi in the south of France – but this year we have had to scale down a bit (you know, building up the reserves for next year!).  So most of our time was spent at home, doing all the things that we always want to do, but just never have the time for.  It was great to just sit back and relax – and take things in my stride.  I’ve recently come to realise (or finally admitted it to myself!) that I don’t focus enough on the here and now.  My mind is always off thinking about the past (something I should have, could have done or said) or otherwise thinking about the future (what I must do, I need to do, I must remember…).  So with this time off I really concentrated on just enjoying the present.  And I feel so much better for it!

The best part of our holiday though, was a short little weekend getaway.  Located just outside Botrivier (a small town in the Overberg region of the Western Cape, South Africa), you will find the beautiful KolKol Mountain Lodge.  It is truly a special place; unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.

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Our stunning cabin, Brunia
The wooden deck with our outdoor fireplace and wood-fired pool
Views for days

It has beautifully furnished log and stone cabins with breathtaking views over the valley.  The attention to detail makes everything super special.  Apart from its romantic setting, with an outdoor braai and indoor fireplace you could ask what more one would need on a romantic breakaway… but wait… there is more.  How about wood fired hot tubs?!  Oh yes!  Imagine the air has a slight chill, but you are sitting comfortably on your wooden deck overlooking the stunning scenery, a glass of wine nearby…  relaxing in a hot tub!  Pure bliss!

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Hubby relaxing in the wood-fired hot tub – bliss.

Hubby and I spend two evenings there – way too short!  But long enough to leave me feeling refreshed and energized.  If you are looking for an amazing place to reflect and get perspective on life again, this is it.  Don’t hesitate to visit!  You have to experience it for yourself.

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Lunch with a view!
Cozy fireplace
So romantic

What I realised during this time is that I need to take better care of myself.  I think for many of us just go on auto-pilot during our normal daily lives without even knowing that we do. During this little break I became aware how important it is to take time out, to make sure that I am OK.  It’s like that saying that you can’t fill a cup that is already full… I realised I was full, but not necessarily with the good stuff.

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The stunning fynbos and views for days…

So here are a few things I’ve decided to consciously focus on going forward to make sure that I am the best me I can possibly be – maybe there is something here that resonates with you as well:

 1.  Focus on the moment

Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift.  That’s why it’s called the present.  – Bill Keane

Cheesy, I know!  But important.  Else I will forever be spending my time worrying about something that happened, or that might happen – and I will miss out on all that is happening around me right now.

2.  The work-life balance

Balance is not better time management but better boundary management. – Betsy Jacobson

I know there is no such thing as a perfect work-life balance.  But you need to watch the scales.  I realise that I have been giving so much time (willingly) to work that I suffered.  So I need to focus on that balance a bit and prioritise some time for me.  It is OK not to work late every night, right?!

3.  Healthy body, healthy mind

To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.  – Buddha

Oh, this is the difficult one!  I’ve never been naturally active, but last year I tried jogging and I really enjoyed it.  It was amazing how it actually cleared my mind after a busy day. However, when winter came, I just could not bear to get out there so the winter was spent on the couch, under the blanket.  I really did find that I missed it and with spring now approaching, I’m dusting off my running shoes and will be hitting the road again tomorrow.  #fingerscrossed  (And of course the healthy lunch is already packed for lunch tomorrow!)

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Cheers – to pressing “reset”!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reflection on the world today

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This morning when I woke up it was with much sadness that I read about the attack that happened in Nice, France, where a truck drove into a crowd of people, killing over 80.

What was even sadder is that every day around the world people are killed in so many senseless acts of violence.  Syria, Baghdad, Orlando, Paris… – those are just some of the more known ones.  But there is also the woman who gets raped and killed while out jogging, or the man robbed and shot dead, while waiting for a train.  And sometimes it feels to me that as a world we have become so desensitised to this; it’s only the latest event that makes the headlines for a day or so and then we move on… So much suffering because of  race, religion, sexual preference… because of evil.

I believe Mother Theresa said “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”

There ARE more good in this world than evil.  There are more of us that believe it the value of respecting one another; of allowing our fellow human beings to live in peace in this world.  It is not whether your religion is Christianity or Islam that counts… or if you love a woman or a man… it’s not a black or white life that matters… all innocent lives matter.  Let us respect that; let us live that value – and even if alone we can’t change the world, we can pray that by doing this we will lead by example and that we will leave a better and more peaceful, respectful world for our children and those to come after us.

I leave you with a song from a Just Jinjer, a South African band.  It was written a couple of years ago but as relevant today as it was then.  On my way to work this morning I could not help but think of the first few lines…

if there is grace in this world
if there is light on this earth
let us use it
let us see it
starting right now

can we be down with ourselves
respectful and mindful of one, of one another
your significant other
your sister, your brother

peace, love, more tolerance
faith, hope, trust in the same name of god

peace, love, more tolerance
faith, hope, trust in the same god in whose
name we die for, take an innocent life for
that’s not what he means
and it doesn’t matter what book you read

It’s called “What he means” – and it’s worth listening to it here.

Let us not just pray for Nice today…

let us pray for the world.

Too special to write about

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Everyone has them.  Things that you save for only those ‘special occasions’.  And boy, the occasion needs to be pretty special.  Why else would you feel up to first wiping the dust and cobwebs away?

To illustrate my point, herewith a few of my ‘elite’ little items (with the corresponding special occasion it was last used at):

Glass salad bowl from Spain:  Yet to be used; still waiting for that special occasion to materialise.

Tablecloth bought in Arles, France:  Hubby’s birthday in November; used once.

Dinner set:  OK, this comes out a bit more frequent, but it is packed in its own little cupboard. It makes an appearance on Mothers’ Day, Fathers’ Day, birthdays and Christmas.

Chanel No. 5:  Only when I’ve carefully considered whether the occasion is really worthy. (I’ve had it for 2 years now; quarter used!)

Crystal champagne glasses picked up at a charity shop:  Birthdays.  (Nope, not even new year.  By the time the champagne must be popped, too much champagne has already flowed.  Can’t risk it!)

Moleskin notebook… notebookS…:  I confess!  I have a thing for books/journals in general.  I never want to write in them.  It feels like I will somehow spoil them. But I keep getting them.  So, when last used?  Never!

Today though I realised that I’ve carried this vice for protecting beautiful things for exceptional circumstances to my writing as well.  There are many beautiful things I want to write about, but each time I contemplate putting fingers to keyboard I’m scared that I will spoil it.  How can I write about something special with inadequate words?  How can I describe something that is indescribable?

I’ve been thinking about it and the only way I see calls for me to just go for it!  Caution to the wind!

Here’s to laying the table with the French table cloth and that packed away dinner set, while serving salad in the Spanish bowl, and having champagne out of crystal champagne glasses while wearing a little bit of Chanel No. 5!

(Thank goodness I can still save the Moleskins!)

 

New year’s resolutions, continued…

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“When you reach for the stars you may not quite get one, but you won’t come up with a handful of mud either.” – Leo Burnett

This was the first quote I ever quoted.  I was in grade 11 in high school and had to write the foreword for our school yearbook.  It had to include a message to the grade 12 pupils finishing school that year.  For some reason I had this urge to share something really profound with them.  Some knowledge or secret that would forever have an influence on the people they were to become.  I didn’t quite know what (probably the only thing I didn’t know at 17!), but I knew it had to be motivational, inspirational.

So off I went in the search of some quotes.  And when I got to the Leo Burnett quote, it just felt right.  It resonated with me then, even as a teenager.  It affirmed that I could try anything I wanted.  And it gave me solace that in times when I have tried my all and I don’t end up on top, that it would be OK too, because at least it meant that I would be better off than if I did not try at all.  I liked it so much that it also ended up being my words of wisdom to the grade 12’s.

Fast forward back to now, to the pending new year.

After my mini meltdown about the pressures of new year’s resolutions I’ve spent a few days thinking about what it really is that I would like to achieve in 2016.  And out of nowhere the Leo Burnett quote popped into my head.  Sure, I want to lose weight, eat healthy, improve my skin care regime, be a better person, work harder, be a better wife, daughter, sister, friend, save all the lost dogs in the world, learn to cook better, create an amazing blog… but what does it really mean?  What is it that I would really like to achieve?  What will make me happy at the end of 2016?  When will I look back and not be disappointed by all the things I started on Monday and stopped on Wednesday?

“When you reach for the stars you may not quite get one, but you won’t come up with a handful of mud either.”

That’s it, really.  In the end what really makes me feel content is when I feel I am the best me I can possibly be.  And the best me is the me who knows in her heart that she tried and gave her best at whatever it is she thought was worth trying.  And then it’s OK if I don’t quite get there (like the size 8 jeans I’ve been saving in my cupboard  for years now!!) because if I gave it my all and still don’t catch that star, I know that I am more than what I was before.

So here’s to 2016!  To being me, to reach for the stars in everything I do.  To be more (and maybe a little bit less in certain areas)! To live life to the fullest.

Cheers!

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