As the sun wss setting, the clouds were wrapped in the most beautiful silver linings, so ornate and bright that I couldn’t help exclaim – there is an actual silver lining! I tried to capture it in pics, but in a way am glad I couldn’t because instead the silver lining was a written on my heart. A brief moment of hope at the end of day.
Page 143 of 274
Loser Me
Waiting, waiting, hesitating
Waiting, waiting, contemplating
Waiting, waiting, wasting time
Welcome to Africa, and African time. Where it takes an hour standing in the customs queue, because time be 5:10am, and skeleton staff to process all the people. But that’s okay, because we are not going anywhere (we got ya!), we just all be like, stand in the queue until it be our turn. Not going forward, not going back. Yeah, but I need the bathroom, people!
Yay, baggage collection time. But where is my luggage? Empty carousels everywhere, three with luggage, but none from Perth. Ask an ‘official’ and he be like – look at that one, if not there then look over there, otherwise go that side. No. None. Eventually I saw – a couple stray bags on an empty carousel. Hey that’s mine! A man called to me – those are the last from Perth. Huh? What did I miss? I came off the same flight and stood in the same queue, how come I’m the last to get my luggage? Everyone else been and left? Ah, I get it. I stood in the ‘foreign passport’ queue. Loser.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Welcoming face
It’s been a while since I’ve flown South African Airways (SAA). The onboard staff were very warm and welcoming, and lucky me, I had three seats to myself to lie back and relax. The experience felt though as if I was stepping back in time. From the aircraft itself, as well as to the onboard experience. Many of the announcements were introduced with the term ‘Ladies and Gentleman’, I can’t recall how other airlines address the passengers. It just kept on sounding very odd. What was more odd though, was the announcement that the plane was refueling – after we were already in the air. The arm rest next to me had a missing silver button, with only a button hole appearing where the button should be. And the pillows, whilst bearing clean paper covers, were re-used. I know this because I thought to look under the cover (should these covers be taken off?). And the one I looked under bore old stains (coffee? blood?). I took a pic to share as this is a story like – if there isn’t a picture it wasn’t so:
Can you see it?
The inflight entertainment system was also rather dated. The interface looking like it was state of the art somewhere in the 1980s (I did manage half of the Intern until the entertainment system was switched off for descent). And all electronic systems (including mobile phones) to be switched off ‘completely regardless of their mode’. Because why?
Apart from all of that, the flight felt strangely familiar. This is the airline of my youth. The inflight magazine is the same brand as the one I used to read when I flew jhb to Cape Town many times. The cabin crew all South African, and hey, I am going ‘home’.
Kindness
The past few weeks I have been in a very negative space. Ungracious and unkind spirit, and having nothing to share.
But a miracle has happened! I have received so much kindness from others, encouragement and love. It really lifts me up, and makes me want to share. Last night a dear friend from bloggyville contacted me, and was so helpful and encouraging and loving. I fell asleep with that feeling of love on my heart. And I woke up with it, I had the thought, people are so kind in general, aren’t they?
I’ve been thinking as well of how helpful and supportive my manager has been. So, me being Vonita, and doing odd things every day, couldn’t resist walking up to him with a greeting of “people are so kind in general, aren’t they”? That’s a cryptic greeting, he replied. He said people are only kind if they are not feeling like they are being caged in, otherwise they might be lashing out. But you show kindness, he said, that’s why people are kind to you. I said to him, you are one of those kind people too, thank you. And then made a quick escape. And my friend reached out to me again this evening, so encouraging and edifying, sharing a Psalm with me and reminding me, we have God, heaven and Angels on our side. As many angels as we may need.
So have decided to go back to South Africa with that feeling on my heart. Just a feeling of wanting to be kind, and finding the love, when sometimes our nature wants to resist.
Xx
(Still) Living in a Box
I say the things I’m told to say
I live the way I’m told to live
I smile, I act, I live my life
And when I dream at night
My dreams are free to roam
Outside the box I’m captured in
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/boundaries/
Love Yourself
My Mama don’t like you.
Oh.
I am the Mama.
(Sorry Beth, I know you not a bieber fan, but this one is cool).
Lolly Jars
Well, I have two more sleeps before I head off on an overnight connecting flight to Johannesburg. Leaving my kids and husband behind for family responsibility decided on by others. Missing the event of the year, the School May Fair, which is a great day of fun, and something I’ve been looking forward to since the inaugural Fair from last year. But no, I rather need to take my life in my hands, and brave the Jhb roads, to satisfy other people’s expectations of what I should be doing with my life. And how I should be spending my non-existent cash, and time. Because I have unlimited leave and money grows on trees.
To cheer me up, I did my part and contributed a few Lolly Jars (candy jars) for the Lolly Jar ‘Lucky Dip’ stand. BFF is under strict instructions to buy a couple for myself, because Lolly Jars make me happy. Sometimes it’s the simple things in life.
Looking at the jars I’ve made up, I suddenly feel sorry for the poor soul who ends up with the yellow jar. Who wants a jar with only yellow lollies? (Candy, sweets in South Africa, lollies in Australia, you get the idea). Oops. Sorry, my bad.
And here’s a reminder from last year. (I am really upset at missing the fair. If I think about it too much I am going to get angry. And angry on me is not flattering).
Day Job
My day job is as diverse as it can be. Sometimes I have heaps of work to do, and not enough time. Sometimes I have none. For weeks on end. Each project is different. Each host system is different. Different environments, different applications, different systems to connect to, different sets of problems. And challenges. Today I started writing a Sap3 Connector. I’ve never written one before. It seems slightly non-trivial. And I have three days in which to do it (my bad, I underscoped). And so it goes.
Come What May
If Only
The skies blush
A paler shade of pink
While thoughts of mine
Think on all the things
You could do to me
If only
