Wake me up.

So, last night after a long day of running around, chasing air, struggling to find a way to better my education and become a more successfull South African, I sat down with two guys from Jerusalem and had coffee and played cards. After a few rounds of cards and conversation where most of the time my response was "repeat that again" and try to fill in their sentences with words that makes more sence to me, I asked who the people on the photo's on the wall was.

Rayan took the pictures off the wall and came and show them to me. It is pictures of his friends, his 17 year old brother and pictures of him in a grave yard. Obvious response was why do you have pictures of you in a grave yard and who died? Not knowing that the response I would get would blow me away and bring me back to what I believe in.

The response was that in 2003 his brother (just minding his own business and walking to school) got shot by the Isreali soldiers. I felt sad at this point, but not yet shocked. After telling me how his brother died, he told me that five days later, Samer (the other guy that was playing with us) 's brother got shot by the isreali soldiers. He was only 11. In one month, five people of their family died in this manner.

The sad thing is that sometimes it takes something so drastic to hear from the mouths of people with so much pain in their eyes, only to realise that it is time to stop. Time to think. Time to be. Yesturday in my blog I wrote that hopefully I will have time next week to take off for myself and just be. Last night I decided that that day will be tomorrow.

I know that this might sound like a soppy chain-mail article, but it is from my heart that I hope that whoever read this will take the time, even for a few minutes to think about what they have in life.

Snow in the sun.

So, for the first time in my life, I was actually in a town where it snowed and I could actually see the snow on the ground. Yes, for some people this fact is shocking, but remember that Mossel Bay is the place in the world with the second most average climate. Not much snow there.

Life in Oxford at the moment is funny. So much stuff is happening and I am just taking ground. I think that it is time to just be again. When life keeps you this busy (and I bought a notebook yesturday just to jot down everything I need to do), life goes by, and you dont even stop and realize that life is giving you so much and you just ignoring it by not taking time to stop, be and appreciate. This week is too busy...too much stuff to do, but I promise that next week I will just be.

My parents is coming in exactly a month from today! I am as excited as a 5 year old with a new million piece lego set! I am building in my head everyday what we need to do while they are here. They will stay for a month.

To end off....please take some time today, or sometime this week, if you want to do it for a half an hour, a day, or for the rest of the week, just be for a while. Think of life, think what it is what you want to accomplish in the next couple of years and be. Dont let worries about money, assignments, your job, or even your children or family worry you. Just be. Its time to take time for yourself. And in the first 5 minutes of doing this, just think of me and keep your fingers cross that next week will bring a more relaxed week and that I would be able to take a day and just be.

It might sound a bit too hippie, but I guess that its just the way I think.....maybe in a previous life I was one.