The Help

A month or so ago while on holiday i read "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett and for some reason the book has stuck in my subconscious. Four other books later i am still thinking about the journey it took me on. 

Subsequently i have been asked to review the book so here are some highlights from a satisfying read.

I found it to be sad and emotional but a very real in your face reflection of how people had their dignity stripped away from them and how all of that was viewed as acceptable.  The book has the scary ability to pull you into its pages and  the writer captured the era flawlessly.  You could feel the shame, happiness and fears leap off the pages as you reading it.

In the beginning when Skeeter takes on this journey to write the stories of the colored women in her town i don't think she thought that in the process she will also find herself and that is exactly what happens as you read on.  

The book is filled with self discovery as the women in it take risks and in the end you can clearly see "change is coming". With the quirks and humor you also see love, bitterness and dedication as these women soldier on because they have mouths to feed and "white babies" to raise. 

In my personal observation and conversations with others who have read the book i have discovered that if you have a domestic worker or if you know someone that spends their days cleaning up after others this book subconsciously forces you to rethink your behavior towards them. Forces you to consider their burdens too. 

It is a definite good read and you will walk away wiser for each chapter that you dive into. 

Some fun in the Sun..

Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodacom - let your email find you!

Little Joys..

A reminder to enjoy the little things that this life has to offer, to enjoy the good friends and to learn from the bad ones (for each has a tale to tell). 

In every day...

Idle thoughts on a crazy day...

Ernest Holmes said " Any thought which tends to inspire, to comfort and to give peace to the mind is good".

On this Wednesday afternoon my thoughts lead me directly to the need for my warm bed (in the midst of this chilly day) and a steaming cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream and cinnamon sprinkles. Oh what simple pleasures my heart desire.

However looking to my desk; i see my preparation notes, and reading material (that i need to read for what i imagine is the 10th time in the hope that the facts stick or i don't come across too nervous). I can see emails popping up reminding me that someone needs an urgent reply or for me to take them through a computer system that is just not working.

So Mr. Holmes i wish it was that simple.

On-Route (Njia): Being more....

On-Route (Njia): Being more....: Someone once told me that "you need to be more of what you want to see in the world, that will make it better". Safe to say at that point ...

Being more....

Someone once told me that "you need to be more of what you want to see in the world, that will make it better".

Safe to say at that point in my life i did not understand the expression or what my very philosophical friend meant by it, I just thought she was being her whimsical self with her anecdotes on life.

But today while doing some preparation work (for my own big step) her words resonated with me once more; "you need to be more of what you want to see in the world..." from this i take that if i want to see goodness and light in this world i need for it to start with me and what i project to the world.  If i want great adventures and new beginnings i need to be open to them, be open to taking a chance and risking it a little.

Not an easy task i know.

As crazy as it may sound this expression reminds me that my projection of life and light to the world will somehow be projected back into my own life, it may not happen in the ways i expect nor will it happen  overnight but it will happen.

I know that i cannot miraculously change the world but my thoughts and my deeds can make it better.

Todays thought

Examine the contents of your life and not the bottle that you think it comes in...

Trial and Error

I have always been told that the lesson is in the journey and not the destination. The journey is what builds your character, it is what reveals your strengths and weaknesses. Only when we are brave enough to take road less traveled can we discover who we are.

Sometimes we need to be bold and take time to try!

Made me think........

Perspective

It does not take much to be kind,
yet we shy away from it
because somewhere along the line kindness has been mistaken for weakness.

So many people walk around with a meaningless life.
Where they seem half asleep even if they're busy doing things
that they think are important.

This is because they're chasing the wrong things.

The way you get meaning into your life is
by devoting yourself to loving others (whether they love you back or not),
by devoting yourself to the community around you (and not the one you wish you could have)
by devoting yourself to creating something that gives you purpose.

Life does not need to be perfect
in order for you to share it, its in the imperfections
that greatness is found after all.

So in order to find that meaning we all seek
we need to remember to love and to live
without the boundaries, the questions or the regrets.

Olly Murs - Dance with me tonight

I love this song, its one of my current favorite tunes. A bit of a cross between old and new (reminds me of swing - not that i was born in that era) ,it is one of those i cannot help but dance too!!! 

Do it Anyway....

People are often unreasonable,

illogical and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind,
people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful,
you will win some false friends and true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank,
people may cheat you;
Be honest anyway.

What you spend years building,
someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,
they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today,
people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,
and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis,
it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

- Mother Teresa 

A little reminder for us all to "do it Anyway" because our relationship with man (each other) is important yet futile but our relationship with God is essential. 

Endless Possibilities

A few weeks ago I attended my Graduation and before the 2 hour procession  I had a chat with a gentleman in a very long line while hunting down our graduation gowns. He was very kind and listened as my nerves got the better of me, he smiled and very confidently said “don’t worry this is only the beginning of greater things”.

A few minutes later gowns in hand we wished each other good luck and parted ways.

Close to the end of the graduation procession they introduced the Doctorate Candidate, to my surprise this was the very same young man that was in the line with me. Upon his introduction they mentioned that he suffers from Dyslexia  and for the last 11 years has been working towards this mile stone in his life, which he reached (with Cum Laude).

The first humble words from his mouth was “without God this would not have been possible” and as I sat their listening to him recall his journey I realised just how right he was because without Gods grace and the people he sends our way at different trying times many of our achievements would not be possible.

This also had me reflecting on the hard roads we often need to take to find ourselves in this world. On what we need to give up in order to move on; on how we sometimes need to first fail and fall in order to learn and rise.

The message to me was somehow clear that in the end its all possible when you believe a little more and push a little harder.