Day 6: Some of the Happiest Days of my Life

Meet Rabbi. No, he is not a Jewish priest. He is a rabbit. "Rabbi" is short for "rabbit". At least to an (almost) one year girl and her family of madmen. I know he doesn't look much like a rabbit but, trust me, he is. He has the tail to prove it.

Rabbi was given to me on my very first Christmas by my dear old Nana. From that day forward, Rabbi and I did everything together; we slept together, ate together, played together. I used to take him on holiday with me right up until I was near 10 years old (now would be a good time to point out that i can't believe I'm telling you this). Now, he sits on my shelf in view of anyone's passing eye.

To me, Rabbi represents some of the happiest days of my life: my childhood in Zimbabwe. Those were the days when my family lived under the same roof. I saw my dad every day and he used to come to all my school events. My entire extended family (uncles, aunts, grandparents, great grandparents, Godfathers and Godmothers, cousins, second cousins, cousins twice removed - you get the picture) all used to live very close to us. I spent my days outside. I lived my life in my pool, or my grandparents pool. We took photos and videos all the time. There were games in the forest at the bottom of my grandparents house. The best Christmas lunches fit for Kings. I had ceaseless energy all the time. I had friends whom owned lake houses where we would go spend the day, or weekend - swimming in the lake, on the boat, exploring and not really caring if we got sunburnt.

Of course, things change and you are given new circumstances and new experiences. Some for the better and some, not so much.

Nevertheless, it is a beautiful life I have lived thus far.

Day 5 (a million and one days later): Love is this. This is love.

Someone I love.
Someone who has made me think twice about many different things in life.
Someone who has shown me true love and true strength.
Someone who has shown me what it means to truly fight for something with everything you have.
Someone who has taught me courage in being me, no matter how ridiculous or crazy.
Someone who makes me feel beautiful every day of my life.
Someone who can make me laugh until I cry.
Someone who is the complete opposite of me.
Someone who kisses my eyes when I cry.
Someone who calls me out on my shit.
Someone who stands beside me as an equal.
Someone who lives on the other side of the country from me, but whom I still fall in love with over and over, every day of my life.
Someone who is his own person, and allows me to be mine, loving me no matter what.

To this person, my boy, I thank with my whole heart, and love with my whole soul.

And to all of you, I hope you (if not already) find your someone. And when you do, fight for them. There is no relationship without equal effort and the constant want for them to be by your side every day - even if they can't be.

"It is a risk to love. What if it doesn't work out? Ah, but what if it does." - Peter McWilliams

(The moustache featuring in the photo is courtesy of Movember. Quite a look, don't you think?)

My Most Sincere Apologies

I know I have perhaps destroyed the whole idea of the 30 days challenge - since it is exactly what it is called; a challenge over 30 days, not just a whenever-I-feel-like-it challenge and so, I've had to pop in to explain my recent lack of posts.

Due to my extremely slow (and overheated) computer, my blog posts in the evenings were taking a good couple of hours to complete - picture editing and all - and this was taking a lot of time away from studying for my oh so important end of year exams, and so, I have decided to put a bookmark in the photo challenge, focus on my academics and start up from where I left off when holidays (finally) arrive. I have no doubt that the pictures then will be infinitely more exciting, as I am spending three weeks in one of the most beautiful and interesting cities in the world - London, England.

So, lovely readers, until then...

Day 4: A Delicate [New] Passion

Before you look at my day's picture, I have to admit something; I have taken matters into my own hands and swapped the pictures for two days this week for reasons that I will not let on. You will just have to wait and see!

I started ballet today. That was my something new. A very pure and elegant something new.

Day 3: A South-African Summer's Day

As a younger girl living in Zimbabwe, I used to spend most of my time outside in the open (those were the days). Whenever I laid on my back and looked up at the sky I used to think it was exactly like glass and if it shattered, it would all come crashing down on top of me. It used to scare me quite a bit.

The sky above us is a constant. It is there every day of our lives and it is not going away. It has always been one thing on Earth that has made me sit back in silence due to the utter complexity of the world. The sky, no matter where one is and no matter what the weather, is always a reminder that there is always something greater than oneself or ones life.

A blue summer's sky is nothing short of perfect. It is my favourite type of sky. It's colour is infinitely pure; it seems as if you can dip your finger into it and watch the ripples wash across the vast expanse and disappear beyond the horizon, and the clouds look flawlessly moulded as if you could take a carving knife and chip off its edge. But a summer's sky at sunset? Simply paradisaical.

It was 38 degrees Celsius in South Africa today. And now, at six-thirty in the evening, it is 32 degrees. It has been the hottest day ever recorded in Johannesburg city.
Bring on the summer.

Day 2: It's a Supporters World

Day 1: Fired up

I have spent the most amazing day and a half curled up in my bed or sitting cross-legged on my desk chair, in front of my laptop while I blatantly ignore the piles of school notebooks that have been strewn across my desk and floor. It started off on Thursday afternoon on Pinterest and, well, you know how it goes. One site leads you to another - and each new site made my soul feel bigger, bolder and more inspired than the last. This mesmerized stupor held my attention until this afternoon on this wonderful sunny South African Friday. I found so much inspiration in so many things; beauty, writing, travel, crafting, journalling - the world as a whole. I've been in my happy place. One of the pictures I came across while hunting (courtesy of this lovely lady - who was my main source of inspiration yesterday) was this 30 Day Photo Challenge

One of my New Years Resolutions for twenty-eleven was to take a picture every day of the year. Big fail (as New Year's Resolutions usually are). When I found this picture, I thought the challenge would be a bit more realistic to try out. Also - small creative projects as such do tend to excite me. My day one is today and I made a considerable mess of my room preparing for my first photo - I brought in my sister's wall mirror; I dug out all the make up and bobby pins I could find in the depth of all household drawers; I experimented with all different sorts of hairstyles and make up tutorials. My desk has make up marks all over it and I'm pretty sure I lost a great many things in the clutter of my room. All in all, I was quite excited by my first photo of the thirty days.

What has my recent day-and-a-half of total inspiration taught me? No life lesson, but it has hardened the fact that this is how I love to spend my me-days. And sometimes that's important - me-days. To give yourself something back.