The Journey Inward

My time here is winding down before I head back to the States for 6 weeks. I feel like I’ve gotten into such a groove with good friends and fun activities and new workouts. I suddenly feel the sense of scarcity in terms of time, and I’m cramming something into every moment like I won’t be back.

Although it is coming up on winter here and the nights and mornings are chilly, if not downright cold, the days are warm and sunny. The flora and fauna are still gorgeous and blooming, too. People here are cold and miserable, but for this Jersey girl, I couldn’t be happier with the weather. I get to wear some sweaters and boots and I sleep well nestled under my duvet! It’s perfect!

I took a nice walk to the gym and back last Saturday and ran a mile on the treadmill, something I rarely do anymore. From there, I met my friend in Hazelwood for a Color Scavenger Hunt. I was assigned the color green, which seemed kind of boring, but I found some unexpected surprises! We met back for lunch and had to submit a collage of our favorites and a single shot for the competition. It was so interesting and inspiring to see what people found.

I drove to Centurion to bring Mango to her new family. They were so excited and Marlene confided that it was her birthday. She was scared I would change my mind and wouldn’t come, so she didn’t tell me for fear of putting pressure on me. Instead, I burst into tears at the prospect of Mango being a gift to her! We watched Mango up in her room and she watched the neighborhood. Neighbors came to join us. I felt so comfortable with the decision, but pulled over and cried when I left. Bittersweet. She will be missed.

From there I picked up Louise, our art teacher, and we drove to our faculty and staff end of year party in Joburg. There was a buffet dinner and dancing. I tried some line dances and enjoyed watching some traditional dances. It was a nice night, though sitting in traffic in the “Smash and Grab” area was the first time I’ve felt frightened since here. The smash and grabs have become hijackings at gunpoint. Luckily, we made it there safely and our drive home moved quickly through that area.

The dumpster arrived for the roof project and Pete sent a picture of my old piano piece inside. It’s been sitting propped against the side of my porch for too long.

The next morning was padel in Lynwood with breakfast after and then onto one of my favorite markets, Kamers in Menlyn. It only comes twice a year and is so special. I bought way too much and loved everything!

Pete sent more pictures of the roof moving along. It feels so good to have that underway! It’s been difficult at times to manage the house back home, even though Liz and Pete do most of the heavy lifting, the house in Georgia (tenants are not renewing) and planning my summer trip home. I also thought I might have to move here, so between those things and report cards and year end reports, there has been a lot on my shoulders lately. I’ve taken it in bite sized chunks so as not to get overwhelmed. I’m grateful for it all, but sometimes I need to just feel into the weight and talk myself through it.