Ek wens vir ‘n kaalvoetsiel
Met wondergroot oë
Wat die magic in haar mond ronddra
en die katte, kinders en kraaie
betower

Ek wens vir ‘n kaalvoetsiel
Wat die lig in haar hart dra
Om al die spinnerakke en donker moment
In ‘n wink verdryf
En met skewe smile en sproetgesig
Die wêreld ‘n duisend skakerings
van geluk kan verf

Gister nog het jy presies geweet hoe alles in mekaar steek en vanoggend stamp jy jou kleintoontjie binne-in sy glorie  teen die tafel/stoel/random meubesltuk wat gister nie daar was nie, en maak die hele buurt wakker met jou bloedstollende gille of (as jy nou soos ek is en wel ander mense in ag neem) jy hop op  rond soos ‘n af-been hobo terwyl die trane jou wange afrol omdat jy jou lip nou ook stukkend gebyt het.

Nee wat, verandering is ‘n euwel mits jy ‘n doelgerigte poging aanwend om die nuwe posisie van watookal die ruimte vul te onthou in jou middernagtelike strompelinge.

Dit klink soos enige sosiale verandering. Vat nou maar sosiale netwerke. Soos die mense uit die oude doos dit gedoen het was daar menigte skemerkelkies (dank vader vir alkhol)en ‘n magdom handdrukke van ou mans wat poog om intimiderend voor te kom maar eintlik net groot koppe in Woolworths suits is. Deesdae netwerk mens letterlik. In plaas daarvan om op jou baadjie getakseer  te word, word jy nou op jou blog, facebook, myspace EN webblad takseer nog voordat jy ‘n slap-snoek handdruk gegee is. Nou dís ‘n gedaante om bo-oor te val as jy nie by jou volle bewuste is nie.

Maar selfs verandering het sy plek in hierdie wêreld. Verbeel jou net vroue het in die tyd van global warming (wat ook ‘n produk van verandering is, maar ons hou dinge liefs positief) steeds die Voortrekker gewaad of die 80′s shoulder pads (wat as Frisbees kon dien as ma’s dit toegelaat het) gedra het.  Selfs die infrastruktuur is besig om ‘n facelift te kry (al is dit net vir 2010 en al maak hulle dit nie betyds nie).

Verandering is iets om ge-celebrate te word, al is dit net omdat dit beteken dat ons nie in ellende stagneer nie. Wat is die prys van ‘n gekraakte kleintoontjie teen agtergeblewenheid nou eintlik?

Die krake in die hout
Soos ou bekende gesigte
Waarvan elke groef
‘n Honderd keer herhaal is

Ek staan voor jou deur
En wonder of jy weet
Dat ek virewig hier sal staan
Met die hoop om dalk ‘n eendag
die moed bymekaar te skraap
Om vir jou te se hoe jammer ek is
En hoe ek na jou verlang

En ek weet
dat jy agter die deur is
en ek weet
jy voel dieselfde

Maar die loodswart oe van die kwaste
wat soos spoke vir my loer
laat moed en hoop wankel
en ek laat sak my hand
en rus my voorkop
teen jou deur

dis vreemd hoe die wereld werk
wanneer die laaste korrel sand wegglip
en jy jou laaste asem uitblaas
hou die rustige tik tak van die wereld
sy woordlose ritme
soos wat dinge moet wees

dis vreemd
want wanneer my arms slegs die leemte wat jy nalaat omvou
val my wereld uitmekaar
want dinge is nie soos wat dit moet wees nie
en die oorverdowende tik tak
eggo

eggo

eggo

sometimes
your laugh
rips apart the masks
sometimes
it pierces the illusion
that what you felt
was true

And even then
I’d be shattered
if tomorrow should start without you
And all you left behind
was a broken smile
and shredded wings

die afwesigheid van geheime
en skadu-skanse
veroorsaak ‘n kaalvoet staptog
deur die lewe
waar elke doring
elke klip
wat deurdring tot jou siel
en jou gewete deurboor
herinner aan die verlede
en spookdrome
van jou verleentheid
en dit laat mens wonder
oor die prys
van liefde
en skielik besef jy
dat eerlikheid
al is wat jy het

Is it not the same with hope and fear?
I sit here thinking, hoping, fearing
To hope is to fear – a divine uplifting fear, but fear all the same for is it not fear that inspires hope?
And is fear not a negative hope? To fear is to anguish over the passing of some thing that may not come to pass – is this fear not then inflamed by the negative hope?

To hope is to embrace fear
To embrace fear is to risk all that you have yet hoping that this risk will not be in vain

Love is hope .. divine, inspired
Affection is the seedling of love and fear the thing that looms, threatening to smother this would-be beautiful beginning

I shall let go of fear and risk the very thing from which my heart cringes
And let hope and fear take their course

just because I might end up loving someone

No, I’m not talking about the fact that it is never a good idea to design a shoe with flaps that look like you’re squashing a bat under your foot, but its close.
The character, Drew Baylor, expresses this simple statement:

Failure is simply the absence of success

It makes you think doesn’t it? Failure isn’t some kind of monster designed to make your life miserable.
Okay, so I screwed up. No big deal.

It’s the proverbial falling off a horseback. What matters most is that you keep at it, keep smiling and most importantly – keep learning from your failure. Look behind that big fat F and discover the reason for the absence of success – maybe the timing is just off, or maybe some important piece of the puzzle is missing.

I’m not going to bore you with the cliche’d tale of Edison failing to create a lightbulb 1000 times because I’m sure you’ve heard it innumerable times. What I am going to tell you is this: KEEP MOVING FORWARD

A setback can only be turned into a comeback if you COME BACK.

The most precious gifts don’t come in velvet boxes.

Strange coming from a company who trades in diamonds which, incidentally come in what else? Velvet boxes. Duh.

But the I thought – why do people give diamonds?

Engagement?
Marriage?
Wedding anniversary?
The birth of a child?
A 21st birthday?

But why?
And thats when it hit me. The one thing that connects all these important events is time.

A diamond given in the form of an engagement ring is a promise of time. Yes, I will spend the rest of my life (which in SA terms means 25 years LOL) with you.
In the form of a wedding band it solidifies that promise – sealing it.
The wedding anniversary – traditionally for the 75th anniversary. Giving a diamond is saying “Thank you for 75 years of your life that you could have spent with someone else – but instead chose to spend with me.”
The birth of a child. Such a precious gift in and of itself that it merits the giving of a diamond to the mother of your child, thanking her for 9 months of discomfort, 9 months spent weaving together a hope, a dream.

Time is not only an important element in relationships, but in business also. Time is money – just ask the person who sold all his shares the day before the stock market crashes.

We do not realise how precious time really is until its too late. A ticking biological clock, an exam you need to prepare for, the day before your birthday, procrastination, a medical emergency, a car accident.

Time is of the essence.

What are you doing with your time?