Respect is earned, not given. Get it?

Growing up, I was never surrounded by strong women. Instead they were too caught up in their misery. They allowed their problems overcome them so they became a mere shell of themselves. They, not once, thought about seeing the better side of things, nor did they seek to better themselves, their lives or skill set. To be in their company became (and still is) intolerable. They were the ones who wanted someone to swoop in and save them, to make their lives better.

No. Things do not work that way. Everyone is responsible for the choices they make.

“Never be a prisoner of your past. Become the architect of you future. You will never be the same,” wrote Robin S. Sharma in The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: A Fable About Fulfilling Your Dreams and reaching Your Destiny.

Luckily, I have managed to find many strong women in my life as I got older. I admire them for their perseverance, their can-do attitude and their infallible resilience. I admire them for making me want to become a better person, to strive to do more and achieve more. From housewives, to singles, a few mothers, and even career women, there is something in all of them that screams bravery and courage. Yes, they come in all forms, and roles.

I feel privileged to have these women in my life to depend upon, and form a secure support structure. They are always there to lend a helping hand or simply answer any sort of query and share their infinite wisdom.

To these strong women who help mold me every single day, I salute you.

Yes

Image: PostSecret

At least I am not the only one. 

People can be so damn nice

Unexpected compliments and acts of kindness always leave a warm and fuzzy after effect. I noticed strangers have been rather kind lately and when I think about it, it leaves me with a lingering smile.

Incident 1:

I walked through a popular street lined with cafes and restaurant in Greenside, Johannesburg during lunch one day. A lady ran up to me and said she is studying at Carlton Hair and wondered if I would model my pixie hair cut for them. I smiled, declined, and told her I am too shy. But I did thank her and I passed on the story to my hairdresser. She is the magician behind making my thick, curly hair viable for a short pixie cut. 

Incident 2:

The S.O* ran a race in Benoni and I went to pick him up thereafter. Amidst the crowd, I walked around the finish line a few times hoping to spot him.

"You're dressed so nice!" A lady yelled at me as I walked pass. I hollered back a thank you. 

All I had on was a floral dress, plum woolly panty hose, and red boots. 

Incident 3:

I was at Checkers buying a few urgent groceries. After I picked out the tomatoes I wanted, I handed it to the guy at the scale so he could weigh it. 

"You have a very nice haircut," he said. I told him thanks, despite thinking I needed to desperately wash it. I was glad it did not look as bad as I thought it did.

This is another anecdote I need to pass on to my hairdresser when I see her again.

*S.O - Significant Other 

To all those Jo'burg speedsters

Image sourced here. 

A crazy three months

It turns out, 2015 has already had it's fair share of surprises.

It is only March, and I already started 2 new jobs this year. The first job turned weird really quickly. In retrospect, I am glad for everything that happened there, even though I felt awful at the time. The truth is, that company was not the right fit for me, including the nature of work.

I was lucky enough to also have 3 weeks off between jobs and that was pure heaven. I slept a lot - I think my body was hoarding rest at the time. I spent a lot of time in my kitchen, making many things I've been meaning to do but never had the time for. For that short period, I was also a 'lady of leisure' who lunched with friends. I got to catch up on a myriad of errands, and do some of my favourite things like go to charity shops. I also got training for my new role, and it always helps to be prepared! All in all, those 3 weeks was just what I needed to refresh my mind, body, and soul for the new career path.

On to the second new job - all I can say is I love it. I am back to writing news features again. They've let me work flexi hours, which helps my bad knee since I do not have to contend with peak-time Jo'burg traffic. And really one of the best parts of leaving home at 5:45 am for work, is seeing the gorgeous sunrise. It's hard not to feel inspired when nature bares it's glorious colour palette - a different one every morning. It is a pity though I will not see that in winter, I'll probably get to work when it is still dark!

As 2015 takes its first steps

I did one thing in 2014 that I have never done before: I resigned from my job.

There were many contributing factors that led to that decision, things like:

1. Consistent, constant over time with no payment for it
2. Working under immense pressure
3. Working on weekends and evenings became a regular occurrence
4. Always playing catch-up with my work, despite the long hours
5. Hitting the glass ceiling
6. The nature of the work
7. The tug and pull between corporate egos versus the work that actually needs to be done
8. Not doing my best writing because of tight time constraints

Now, with 2015 still taking it's first steps into a brave world, I have taken my first steps into a new job. It feels strange to be the 'newbie' again. It feels strange to befriend an entire new office. And it feels strange to be not-as-busy as I was in my old job.

And now that my weekends will not be occupied with work, I actually feel at a loss as to how to fill my time. Then again, I need to catch-up on my to-do list that has been getting longer and longer for the past year.

I also feel torn asunder from the year that was - emotionally and mentally. It feels like my job had dragged me under a tractor for kilometres on end. And that is not a very nice sensation at all!

I can only come to one conclusion: this is a year where I need to focus on myself. I need to use my time wisely to once again engage with activities that bring me joy: like writing, cooking, doing yoga, and giving expression to my creative side.

Cheers to 2015, and here's to me!