It Approaches

It's a wonderful time of the year, well almost. School kids are already finished with school and the first "I am sooo bored" has already made its appearance. For parents, most of us are counting the days down until we are on holiday.

I have enjoyed Lesotho immensely and yet I welcome a break from it now, I need a shower everyday, I need water that I can drink and a break from fried mess hall food. Oh and the flies, the African Budgie, a beast so lazy and disgusting it pales in comparison to computer generated exes. They seem to send in wave upon wave of flying raisins and rest on all that is sacred and edible, definitely more irritating than a 2 year old throwing a tantrum in a shopping centre whilst Mommy dearest tries to reason with it. I use the term "it" because if it was any other species, the mother would do the honorable deed and eat the little beast in full public view of any other potential brats.

A month away from my girls is never easy and when I am weakened by a stomach bug, it makes the whole process a little harder. My body aches more than a 55 year old mans whose 29 year old girlfriend has lured him to yoga lesson because it will help him to reach that spiritual place when they are making love. I cant wait to hit the road with my girls, road-trip  music, adventure and visiting family, this memory creator will be documented by way of blogs and photos, blank spaces filled in by fresh fruit, ice-cream and beer and as many hugs as a man could bear.
It will also be a time for me to spend with my Mom and discuss the way ahead for my Dad, a conversation I don't relish but one that must be dealt with.

It is also a time of the year where Simon, Nicole and I have been on the receiving end of friends kindness and I am indeed overwhelmed that this generosity has been bestowed upon us, I find it difficult to respond except say thank you.

This to me is the true spirit of these approaching holidays, sharing and laughing with loved ones. It is a time for friends and family to reflect on the past year and forget about the hard-times and just revel in that moment of happiness.

Nite All

Shelter from the Storm

A good friend is similar to the difference between cheap single ply toilet paper and a really decadent twin ply! They look the same, accomplice the same, but the experience and gentle caress cannot be explained.

A good friend will not only help you when you are down and broken, they will provide a safe have for you to recover in.
Brian and Dee and Zane and Trav took me in when the walls came crashing down, they cared for me, checked on me through the night to ensure I had in fact fallen asleep and put up with my mood swings.
They fed me, loved me, hugged me and comforted me and asked for nothing in return.

These are the kind of people that when I moved into my first bachelor flat, came and helped me clean and unpack. Dee and Candy and Melissa cleaned like woman possessed and fussed over me to ensure I had a fair chance to start again.
What do you say to friends like that.
The Readsters brought KFC and helped me with a deposit and food so that I would be able to feed my girls over our first Christmas together.
They covered my counselling sessions when my sad face and tears touched them and Wayne brought me back to church after my rage and anger at God.

The Liprini's flew me to Cape Town for my birthday so that I could stare a mountain and see old friends and somehow just learn to breathe again.

So, why am I so fortunate? Is it my suave hair and wrinkle free complexion? I firmly believe that if you are verging on the borderline between obese and pleasantly plump, you too can be wrinkle free.

Sometimes you get to remove yourself from a situation and look down on your circle of friends and smile through the horror of life, it is almost as if they form a cocoon around you and fend off any unnecessary attacks.

A hug from a friend is like being wrapped in an electric blanket in winter, its like a hot chocolate pudding on a winters night or a air conditioned room in the middle of summer.
Words cannot explain it, it makes you smile and relax.

So to all of you, find someone who needs that cocoon of love and help them, it could very well be the deed that gives them the hope to continue again.

Nite all