‘Nuff said…
We tend to try to preserve ourselves for reasons that are only apparent when we eventually are about to shuffle off this mortal coil. Not having enjoyed ourselves for fear of breaking or getting injuries that we cannot recover from.
We populate our lives with dates that recognize those who have left before us and the build-up to those anniversaries places stress on both us and those who love us.
So why do we do it? “It is only ‘x’ days to the anniversary of Troy’s death” we remind ourselves every year. Troy does not care, he is not reading Facebook posts…or this Blog for that matter.
BTW, the name Troy was used as an example only…to the best of my knowledge, I do not know anyone named Troy.
Not many of us have a DeLorean that can time travel, therefore our lives tend to be lived by resurrecting memories from our past that were important and that we still have an emotional connection to for reasons that are good, or bad but never indifferent.
So, I sit at my desk with country music playing softly in the background while I construct this post of memories that are important to me and perhaps the pictures will resonate with you, the reader, making you think of times and places and situations that you can relate to.
Don’t let the milestones of our lives become the millstones that will keep us from enjoying our time on this piece of rock we call Earth.
Strum a chord…
Music has always played a part in my life. From my early days as a member of a Folk club in Port Elizabeth to my radio broadcast years where I produced and hosted a country music show.
My love of country music was sparked by my long-term friend and mentor, John Gregg, who died on 29 August 2012. Is it a coincidence that I chose this image to begin this post? Or that I began to construct it on the 29th of August? Somehow, I don’t think so.
John played a huge part in my career in radio, television as well as my continuing love of new country music.
By the way, Country and Country & Western music are two different genres.
Don’t get me started!
Even covered in mud and with one eye partially open, buffalo STILL look at you as if you owe them money.
My all-time most ridiculous Country & Western lyric is from a 1995 song by Roger Miller, which goes:
“Ya can’t roller skate in a buffalo herdYa can’t roller skate in a buffalo herdYa can’t roller skate in a buffalo herdBut ya can be happy if you’ve a mind to“…
Small town South Africa. Slowly dying due to national roads that now offer travellers the opportunity to bypass them. And dwindling populations that have no work.
This is a street in Machadodorp, a once thriving town, now almost laid waste as a result of the recently constructed interchange that has removed easy access into and out of the town.
I wonder how many people know that there is a cemetery of war graves there or that the local butchery serves some of the best biltong I have tasted.
“Fishing provides that connection with the whole living world. It gives you the opportunity of being immersed, turning back into yourself in a good way. A form of meditation, some form of communion with levels of yourself that are deeper than the ordinary self”. Ted Hughes.
I have never understood how someone can stand for hours casting into the ocean, a lake or a stream, hoping to catch something that they cannot see.
But, I am told by those who enjoy this ‘sport’ that is almost meditative. And who am I to argue?
A good friend once told me “Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it”…
“Lessons from a waterfall—Keep moving, and you will eventually get over it.” ― Unknown
The sound of a waterfall, no matter how big or how small always soothes my soul.
One of my favourite leopard images.
More than any other of the feline predators, the leopard has always been a special sighting for me when out on a game drive.
There is something about their ‘aloneness‘ that resonates with me. That they can function and survive without depending on another of their species speaks to how they have adapted to their circumstances.
“Do you HAVE to watch me while I feast”?
By comparison, it takes a pride to provide a meal when it comes to the proverbial King of the Jungle.
An interesting name seeing that there are no jungles on the African continent.
Did you know?
The dictionary definition of Jungle is an area of land overgrown with dense forest and tangled vegetation, typically in the tropics.
According to the research that I have done, here in Africa, we have rainforests rather than jungles, the largest being the Congo Basin, where there are no lions!
Time to leave home… but only if Mom has my back.
This intense-looking cub did not stray too far given that all it needed at this age was literally behind it.
“The world is a fascinating place. How could anyone be bored? Look around and there are a hundred amazing things to investigate.”
― Chasing Dragonflies: A Natural, Cultural, and Personal History.
We can never be bored, however the mundane and the repetitive keep our focus on the big picture, while what is almost within touching distance is ignored because we believe that we have to focus on being an adult.
“The sun was now in its death throes, bruising the sky a coiling purple and orange.”― Harlan Coben
Good night from my favourite part of our planet.
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