Mu(sick)

A lot may have issues with the content but i think its Brilliant!

My Symphony

This morning I woke up with a section of a William Ellery Channing book on repeat in my head; the specific part where he says...

"To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury; and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable; and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasion, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony."

I realize that this world is filled with people trying to live their lives according to other peoples tunes. Life does not work that way; in the long run you need to find your own melody and take the time to write, direct and produce your own symphony.

It does not need to be bold or fancy, it just needs to your own! 

A moment of HOPE

I read a blog by Jeff Goins tonight and it reminded me that in an unjust world there will always be things that we cannot understand; things live violence, death and loss so to get through every trial we need to step out in faith and rely on God to get us there (wherever there might be).

In essence as crazy as it may sound we will never be taken on roads/ journeys that aren't meant for us, the more i see and live in this life i realize the truth in this.

It's evident that we live in trying times and its also crystal clear that we need too "Lean not on our own understanding".

Let us take HOPE away from every situation, test or trial because tomorrow will be better than today and in it we will surely find a new lesson.

Things i have Learnt along the way

I am always amazed at how we change over time, how what was important yesterday ceases to bother us today. With that in mind I have been thinking about the lessons I have learnt from the past.

Here are a few that stand out for me.

1. I have learnt that Pride is a fickle thing and can steal precious time, so always take a moment to say sorry and to reflect on the past so you can appreciate the present.

2. Money is like water, there will be spells of drought and times of floods. So spend it wisely and NEVER let it become your ruler.

3. Don’t rush to get to your destination because you may just miss the views and lessons on the road. In the detours i have learnt some of my greatest lessons yet.

4. Take the time to fall in love, its value is greater than we give it credit for and in it lies many lessons about life, sacrifice and devotion that cannot be taught in books.

5. Scream when you must, cry when you have too and laugh as much as you can because the older we get the more we realise how serious we once were.

6. As cliché as it may sound, the moment is all there is. The worries, lists and plans for the future are all distraction that hinders us from fully living. So throw them out and cease the moment, you might be amazed at where it leads you.

7. Be comfortable in your own skin; it’s the only one you have so embrace the curves, love what you have and the rest shall follow.

8. Regardless of what behavioural science say you can’t motivate people, the best you can hope for is to inspire them to act based on your actions.

9. There are great joys of this world that do not cost a cent so don’t take them for granted; to me they are reading a good book, taking a long walk, having an engaging conversation, getting lost in the smell of the ocean or a breathtaking sight and of course a good hug.

10. Failures are the stepping stones to success, without them their will have been no trials so do not let your fears stop you from trying.

I know that life has many more lessons to teach me and I look forward to embracing them all, one day at a time.

In HERE lies truth...

Today's Reminder...

Life and Light

When i saw the picture for some reason it made me thing of the a verse on Annie where she sings... "The sun'll come out Tomorrow, Bet your bottom dollar that Tomorrow there'll be sun! Just thinking about Tomorrow clears away the cobwebs and the sorrow...."

With that i realize that Life isn’t a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, latte in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming ‘Woohoo WHAT A RIDE’!

Cycles of Poverty

A few days ago I met a young man from a township just outside of Klerksdorp; we had a conversation for about two hours while he showed me some of his community.

I have seen many townships in my life and have lived most of my childhood and teen years on the Cape Flats so I am no stranger to poverty and hardship however I found seeing it through his eyes interesting and more real than I had imagined.

This young man through his articulate words took me through a short journey of his life and daily struggle to keep his head above water; he showed me the outside taps and toilets his family has to share with 2 other households. He took me through the dusty streets so I can see where some of his neighbours need to leave their dirt because there hasn’t been refuse collection in years.

He showed me his neighborhood in the rawest form and after some prying on my part he shared with me his story of being raised by a single mother and how he has tried to get out of the rut he finds himself in. Work is scarce and he could not get into a university because his mother (who is the only family provider) cannot afford it. His family struggles to keep their house, pay their bills and still have a meal each night.

This young man has never heard of a study loan and before i came along no one has ever discussed FET options with him, he didn’t even know that there was an FET college 30 minutes away in the nearest town.

In the middle of this conversation I came to realise that he like so many of the other teens I have had the opportunity to engage with over the last few months were uninformed and left to fend for themselves in a somewhat unjust world. They are somehow set on cycles of poverty that they will not get out of unless they start to think beyond the borders of their safe communities.

Standing there in his community I couldn’t stop thinking of a quote by John Green, where he says “There is no Them. There is only facets of Us”. This young man and the many others i have met and know by name reminded me that there will be no great reward without taking great risk; so i hope that in the years to come i will get to see some of them again and they would have lived beyond the cycles.

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!

Let them dream, let them live

I see so many parents trying to mould their children into little versions of themselves, pushing their little ones into dreams that they themselves could not fulfil and forgetting that the child needs to find his/her own dreams in this world.

Kahlil Gibran says it perfectly;

Your children are not your children. 

They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. 

They come through you but not from you, 

and though they are with you, yet they belong not to you. 

You may give them your love, but not your thoughts. 

For they have their own thoughts. 

You may house their bodies but not their souls, 

for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, 

which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. 

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. 

For life goes not backward, nor tarries with yesterday. 

Kahlil Gibran

So let us not use our children in this life to live our dreams but rather encourage them every day so that they know they can live their own.   

Let us let them dream!