When this year started I had no idea this is where I would be. Living in Cape Town, South Africa. We planned a very different sort of life this year. And we got different. Just not the different we wanted.

We planned to move overseas. A move we had planned for over a year. And then everything happened this year and so our plans changed.

• Instead of travelling the world and immersing ourselves in a different culture, we immersed ourselves in our own unique South African culture.
• Instead of taking a flight overseas, we took a car full of all…

Yes, it’s overwhelming. Thinking about climate change and everything it means for our future.

If you are young, like me, at 28 the future looks terrifying. And the facts are not so good.

So instead of feeling overwhelmed and helpless, there are a few simple things you can do to help the rapid rate of climate change. I am no expert but these are things I have garnered from reading a lot and watching David Attenborough’s latest documentary, A Life on our Planet (which is something everyone should watch).

1. Download Ecosia and make it your primary browser on your computer and cellphone

The movies and films, popular today, rarely depict healthy, loving and fulfilling relationships.

The relationships we see on TV and in movies are full of DRAMA.

No one wants to watch a movie about two people that fall in love and make it work, do they? People want to watch drama, heartache, and pain. We want to see people get together and fall in love, and we want to see the pain that it takes to get there.

There are countless romantic movies where the two leads lie, manipulate, and coerce each other into falling in love. All in the…

I love to play the piano. I don’t get paid to play and neither do I ever hope to get paid. I want to improve but that is not the main goal of my playing.

My main goal is: pleasure. Who knows maybe one day someone will pay me?

What happened to hobbies?

Why do we have to turn everything into a side hustle or project to make money. Not everything we do needs to about making money.

The definition of a hobby, my definition, is:

An activity that brings one great pleasure for which the primary purpose is not commercial but enjoyment.

And…

“A long-distance open relationship”, Maria could not believe she was saying these words and understood the shock in Hannah’s eyes.

“What is that even??!”, Hannah was laughing now.

“We are in a long-distance relationship and we are free to be with other people.”

“You mean sleep with other people.”

“Well, yes that too.”

“Is that what you want?”

“Yes, I am ok with it. I mean I love him and he loves me. We have to live in different cities for now and that’s ok. I don’t mind if this is what he wants.”

“Ok, as long as you are…

Have you heard that joke? The one about Jesus, his miracle was not that he rose from the dead but that:

he maintained 12 close friendships in his thirties.

Or something like that.

I recently had an epiphany. I have a friend who is hard to contact. I complained about the said friend in therapy, recently (during the pandemic & Lockdown). My friend is bad at communicating on Whatsapp. She takes at least a week to respond to a message. She does not always return phone calls. She makes plans and cancels at the last minute often.

I have known…

There are many forces in my life I am grateful for. I am grateful for my family and the upbringing I had which molded me into the person I am today. Many factors have influenced the person I am today and there are probably many more I am not aware of.

There are three that stick out, three I am eternally grateful for:

1. Ballet

I started dancing at the age of 6 years. Ballet taught me rigid discipline, focus, and perseverance.

I starting attending ballet classes three times a week from the tender age of 6. Some days I dragged myself…