Updates, Adventures and Mandela Day

Updates

A small, yet heart-warming update from my last entry where I was left feeling less than adequate trying to help people.  Some good news is that I’ve received emails back from almost all the people and organizations I reached out to for the young man with the cleft palate. It doesn’t mean anything will happen yet, but the young man’s mum is now in conversation with one of the Cleft Palate team members at Pretoria Hospital. And although a conversation still doesn’t feel like enough to me, someone told me that the things I do here in South Africa are like drops in a bucket. I might not fill that person’s bucket, but I’ve made a start. The day after I met the young man and his mum she sent me this email.

It was an absolute honour to meet you.
You are an amazing person.
Thank you so much will surely follow up.
I have Also contacted Smile again through facebook.
I appreciate all your effort and I thank you for wanting to help XXXX and I.
Thank you for allowing the tears.
Needless to say I am emotionally drained.
I keep playing those words around in my head.
You reminding me to be proud of what im doing or trying to do.

No-one Has ever told me That.

Thank you.

Much love and light and may God guide us to the correct solution for XXXX.

XoXo

I included some of it, not to brag or say hey look someone thinks I’m amazing, but to point out that until now, no one has ever met this mom with the words “you’ve done good.” Or “you should be proud of your efforts.” Instead she’s been told she’s being bitchy or crazy. Parents in general are amazing, but I think parents of children with special needs are true heroes and should be reminded of this often.

Adventures:

If we are friends on Facebook or Instagram your feeds have probably been filled with the pictures from my adventures this past weekend, but two of my favorite readers do not socialize through media so just a few words and photos to tide them over until I get home.   Saturday I awoke at 5AM and drove out to a Private Reserve where animals are left in their natural habitat.

While at the reserve you are able to get “somewhat” close to the animals but it’s by no means a petting zoo.  I felt comfort in this fact that they weren’t drugging their animals so that some silly human can wrap their paws around it, take a picture, then post it to their Tinder account thinking it will impress all the ladies. I’ve never quite understood that phenomena …but if you don’t believe me it’s so real. See  Tigers of Tinder . Sunday it was up again early to chase the sun while trail running through the Groot Constantia Vineyard.

I’d never run through a vineyard and I quite liked channelling my inner Keanu Reeves when he’s running through the vineyard in “A Walk in the Clouds” to save the day. To nobody’s surprise except my flatmates here in South Africa who think I’m a running machine, I did not win. I did however manage to pick up some swag in the form of a little bottle of South African Sauvignon Blanc .

Last but not least, after my race I jumped in the car to head off to Table Mountain for Absailing. In the US we would call this rappelling…I think. It was out of this world. At first, I wasn’t looking around just focusing on my foot placement as I was bouncing down the side of the mountain, but then I thought, shit I’m up here might as well. The view was indescribable.

Mandela Day!

Since 2010, Mandela Day has been an international holiday. While it is Nelson Mandela’s birthday and that in of itself is something to honor, the Mandela Day movement asks people to go out and give 67 minutes of their time to honor the 67 years that Nelson Mandela fought for social justice. I know I volunteered more than 67 minutes at the school today, but that’s like my job. All the volunteers at the house and I wanted to do something more. Tonight there was a Full Moon Beach walk that was benefitting the DOT box project (Do One Thing). We came and walked out the beach for 30 or so minutes then walked back 30 plus minutes. They asked that if you can afford it, to bring an item for the 1000 children that the DOT boxes will end up helping. This giving was a no brainer for me. Wouldn’t we all be better off for doing just one thing?