Let me tell you a little about myself so you might be able to relate a little easier. I was born in Johannesburg, grew up in Howick and Durban, spent close on 4 years in the UK working at a beautiful hotel named Great Fosters, came back to Johannesburg to complete my studies, and this is where I spent a good 8 years exploring my twenties. I worked at the best nightclub in South Africa while at varsity, made the most amazing friends whom I treasure to this day, and spent my time and money on socialising, eating out, dancing, studying and basically rushing around from one event to the next, whether it be for fun or for necessity.
In Johannesburg you plan your day, no wait - your life around the traffic. For instance: Tuesday - Doctor's appointment in the morning, quick grocery shopping after work and bikram yoga at 18h30. Doctor's appointment at 10h00, hmmm ok - that means I need to leave home by 06h30 to get to work early and put in a few hours (that way I will miss the traffic); leave work by 09h00 to get to the doctor's rooms in time (just in case there's traffic;) leave doctor's appointment at 10h45, not too much traffic at that time - should be ok to get back to work by 11h30. Back to work at 11h50 - there was an accident on the M1. Ideal afternoon situation - finish work at 17h00 but not going to leave at that time because there is way too much traffic, will leave at 17h30, hit the shops by 17h50, quick dash around the shops, leave by 18h10 to get to yoga to have enough time to change and make it to the class by 18h30. Reality? Still stuck in traffic at 18h45, missed yoga, too grumpy to tackle the shops which close at 19h00; go home, watch an episode (or 3) of whichever marathon series you have downloaded and are now addicted to, simultaneously checking your emails, Facebook, Twitter, and Skype, all the while consciously thinking about what time you need to leave in the morning to avoid traffic and get to work by 08h00. Is this really living your life?
Yes, if you're the type of person who loves spending time in the car, or perhaps has a reason to always be on the road, then this sort of thing wouldn't bother you. It did however begin to bother me. Whenever I would see friends, they would comment at how angry I used to get with the traffic, saying my Facebook updates were nothing but seething all the time. I started living life through eyes of annoyance and resentment. I would go to bed angry, wake up angry, and hate the time in between. Slowly but surely this spiraled into me becoming a very negative and downbeat type of person and the small celebrations of life went out the window. Of course it wasn't only the traffic getting me down, there were a number of different incidents which happened in slow and steady succession and my life took a sharp turn for the worst where it seemed like there was just not much to live for anymore. It is not easy being in that frame of mind at all, especially when you are naturally a fun-loving, spirited individual who usually thrives off the small, valuable moments of life.
I was always hesitant when people would say to me 'stay positive, good things are coming'. It seemed so difficult to accept that things would turn around for the best for me because so much just seemed to be going wrong all the time. The power of positive thought however, is in fact a very true and wonderful phenomenon. I never wanted to believe it, but one day I thought to myself 'why not?' I started to live life differently moment by moment, day by day. It was a case of changing my mindset and tackling the troublesome times with positive mind. The moment I did that, life started shifting. It was a long process, not easy in the slightest, but steadily things started to improve. I met the man I know I am meant to be with, got offered a new job, moved into a beautiful little cottage and started my yoga teacher training all in the space of 6 months. From there it was like I was smooth sailing for the first time in a very long time and it felt great.
I threw myself into my yoga, focused on making my job a success and concentrated on making the long-distance relationship with my man a priority, even though I was always one of those cynics who did not think long-distance relationships could work, no matter how hard a couple tried. I am blessed that I was so wrong about that. Even through the distance, I felt closer to my boyfriend than I have ever felt with anyone. I finally knew the meaning of true love and I valued and appreciated the times we would get to spend together, no matter how quickly they went by or how far apart they were. I had never felt like I had a partner in life, a true best friend who would do anything for me, until now.
People asked me all the time why I decided to move to Zimbabwe of all places, and they still do to this day. My answer was and is simple - for love. Life can be taken away from you so quickly and sometimes you need to do something completely out of your comfort zone whether it be for love, health, happiness or work related reasons. You should never have to justify your decisions to anyone but yourself, because at the end of the day, it's your life and you only get the one. So yes, I decided to make that move, to resign from my corporate job, sell some of my life's collections and pack up the rest of them, my two cats and myself, and head to Harare, Zimbabwe to be with the man I adore and the person who believed in me and everything I wanted from my life.
I've now been here a month and wow, what a change to my life. Just over a year ago, dreams coming true was so far-fetched, but mine certainly are starting to become a reality. Would I have chosen to move to Zim if I had other options? Probably not. But I took the leap of courage and I am so happy I did.
Harare literally took my breath away when we arrived a month ago. I have never seen so many beautiful trees. The streets are covered in a velvety blanket of purple from the fallen Jacaranda leaves, houses surrounded by Bougainvillia bushes which envelope the walls in deep, dark pink security. The sheer size of the trees is what is so incredible and you spend of all your time looking up towards the sky, taking it all in that you forget about the potholes and the state of the roads. There are quaint little nurseries on the sides of the roads and adorable plant shops in nearly every shopping centre - when last did you go to a nursery, let alone buy a plant? It is actually overwhelming how stunning it is, something I definitely appreciate after seeing it so dull a few months ago.
Life in Harare is not about the latest fashion and the fanciest cars, it's not about the most expensive appliances, the latest diet trends, the who's who of the what what. It's about LIVING. Weekends are spent with friends around a braai, drinks on a massive rock which overlooks the city, fishing on one of the lakes or even just chilling at home watching a good movie (if you have power.) You begin to appreciate things you have always taken for granted, such as time with family and friends, electricity, clean water and a petrol station which stays open past 9pm when you have those sweet cravings or actually need to fill up your car.
Yes it is a struggle with the economy and there are times when you question if life in Zim is sustainable under certain conditions, but for now I am happy to be where I am. And I know of a lot of people in Harare who feel the same way. Here it's about making the best of the moment, the current situation, the here and the now. It's about waking up in the morning, feeling that glorious heat on your skin as you step outside and it's about choosing to be happy. You pass street vendors every day who make a living creating beautiful artworks or constructing furniture or even just selling airtime, and they are always so happy to see you when you drive up to them. If they can celebrate life and each new interaction, who am I to not give this place the chance it deserves.
I certainly have been blessed by being given the opportunity to start over and to live the life I want to. Pursuing a dream is scary and daunting and certainly not a walk in the park, but it sure beats living a life according to how busy the highway is going to be and working so hard at making living that you completely forget to make a life.
Till next time...
Denise
Yes, if you're the type of person who loves spending time in the car, or perhaps has a reason to always be on the road, then this sort of thing wouldn't bother you. It did however begin to bother me. Whenever I would see friends, they would comment at how angry I used to get with the traffic, saying my Facebook updates were nothing but seething all the time. I started living life through eyes of annoyance and resentment. I would go to bed angry, wake up angry, and hate the time in between. Slowly but surely this spiraled into me becoming a very negative and downbeat type of person and the small celebrations of life went out the window. Of course it wasn't only the traffic getting me down, there were a number of different incidents which happened in slow and steady succession and my life took a sharp turn for the worst where it seemed like there was just not much to live for anymore. It is not easy being in that frame of mind at all, especially when you are naturally a fun-loving, spirited individual who usually thrives off the small, valuable moments of life.
I was always hesitant when people would say to me 'stay positive, good things are coming'. It seemed so difficult to accept that things would turn around for the best for me because so much just seemed to be going wrong all the time. The power of positive thought however, is in fact a very true and wonderful phenomenon. I never wanted to believe it, but one day I thought to myself 'why not?' I started to live life differently moment by moment, day by day. It was a case of changing my mindset and tackling the troublesome times with positive mind. The moment I did that, life started shifting. It was a long process, not easy in the slightest, but steadily things started to improve. I met the man I know I am meant to be with, got offered a new job, moved into a beautiful little cottage and started my yoga teacher training all in the space of 6 months. From there it was like I was smooth sailing for the first time in a very long time and it felt great.
I threw myself into my yoga, focused on making my job a success and concentrated on making the long-distance relationship with my man a priority, even though I was always one of those cynics who did not think long-distance relationships could work, no matter how hard a couple tried. I am blessed that I was so wrong about that. Even through the distance, I felt closer to my boyfriend than I have ever felt with anyone. I finally knew the meaning of true love and I valued and appreciated the times we would get to spend together, no matter how quickly they went by or how far apart they were. I had never felt like I had a partner in life, a true best friend who would do anything for me, until now.
People asked me all the time why I decided to move to Zimbabwe of all places, and they still do to this day. My answer was and is simple - for love. Life can be taken away from you so quickly and sometimes you need to do something completely out of your comfort zone whether it be for love, health, happiness or work related reasons. You should never have to justify your decisions to anyone but yourself, because at the end of the day, it's your life and you only get the one. So yes, I decided to make that move, to resign from my corporate job, sell some of my life's collections and pack up the rest of them, my two cats and myself, and head to Harare, Zimbabwe to be with the man I adore and the person who believed in me and everything I wanted from my life.
I've now been here a month and wow, what a change to my life. Just over a year ago, dreams coming true was so far-fetched, but mine certainly are starting to become a reality. Would I have chosen to move to Zim if I had other options? Probably not. But I took the leap of courage and I am so happy I did.
Harare literally took my breath away when we arrived a month ago. I have never seen so many beautiful trees. The streets are covered in a velvety blanket of purple from the fallen Jacaranda leaves, houses surrounded by Bougainvillia bushes which envelope the walls in deep, dark pink security. The sheer size of the trees is what is so incredible and you spend of all your time looking up towards the sky, taking it all in that you forget about the potholes and the state of the roads. There are quaint little nurseries on the sides of the roads and adorable plant shops in nearly every shopping centre - when last did you go to a nursery, let alone buy a plant? It is actually overwhelming how stunning it is, something I definitely appreciate after seeing it so dull a few months ago.
Life in Harare is not about the latest fashion and the fanciest cars, it's not about the most expensive appliances, the latest diet trends, the who's who of the what what. It's about LIVING. Weekends are spent with friends around a braai, drinks on a massive rock which overlooks the city, fishing on one of the lakes or even just chilling at home watching a good movie (if you have power.) You begin to appreciate things you have always taken for granted, such as time with family and friends, electricity, clean water and a petrol station which stays open past 9pm when you have those sweet cravings or actually need to fill up your car.
Yes it is a struggle with the economy and there are times when you question if life in Zim is sustainable under certain conditions, but for now I am happy to be where I am. And I know of a lot of people in Harare who feel the same way. Here it's about making the best of the moment, the current situation, the here and the now. It's about waking up in the morning, feeling that glorious heat on your skin as you step outside and it's about choosing to be happy. You pass street vendors every day who make a living creating beautiful artworks or constructing furniture or even just selling airtime, and they are always so happy to see you when you drive up to them. If they can celebrate life and each new interaction, who am I to not give this place the chance it deserves.
I certainly have been blessed by being given the opportunity to start over and to live the life I want to. Pursuing a dream is scary and daunting and certainly not a walk in the park, but it sure beats living a life according to how busy the highway is going to be and working so hard at making living that you completely forget to make a life.
Till next time...
Denise
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