You Have Reached Your Destination

The intelligent and respected people of our society constantly tell us that our life is a Journey and not a destination.  Personally, I would like to meet these so called “they” that people always reference when they are trying to sound as if they are in the know, but for this exercise, it is irrelevant.  I mostly agree with the statement that we should never see our life as a destination, because if we do, we might believe we have reached the end of our road and set up camp, but in actual fact there might still be so many more things that we needed to explore.

I do, however, believe that we also shouldn’t just treat life as a journey, constantly moving and passing important destinations by.  All of us have a destination, a place that we love, a place we go to when we need to re-calibrate, re-boot, re-fuel and re-focus.  And obviously I’m not just referring to a physical place.

I had the privilege of meeting an amazing family a few years ago and I believe that it was a God-appointment even before I realized what was going on.  The wife was my teacher when I was in Grade 3 and after I returned to South Africa from my stay in London, I started working with the husband, helping out at a camp-site in the mountains just outside of Franschhoek.  I remember looking forward to those camps as if they were the only oases in an otherwise really dry desert.  We would spend hours around the big kitchen table, solving the problems of the world, delving into deep and meaningful discussions, and laughing at the most ridiculous of jokes (these kitchen-table-chats would usually take place around midnight!).  And these moments would be incomplete without coffee and hot chocolate, obviously.

The family was given an opportunity at their dream job and about 18 months ago they moved to Beaufort West which is approximately 6 hours’ drive from where I live, and this weekend my sister and I took to the road for a long overdue visit.

From the moment we greeted each other with long hugs, I knew that I would return home rested and inspired.  And I was right.

I guess each and everyone of us know that you sometimes don’t have to say a word but you can still be inspired, or even inspire someone.  That is exactly what happened this weekend.  My spirit, my being and my deep self was completely stripped of all stress.  I felt relaxed.  We laughed, we slept, we ate, we talked, we explored.  And at the end of the day I returned home exactly the way I thought I would: rested and inspired.

See, sometimes a destination is the presence of people that constantly have a positive and healthy influence on their surroundings and the people they encounter.  They are people who don't judge, condemn or pressure you for the time you spend with them.  Thank you Blikkies, Ronel, Jannes, Rian and Juan for being a nurturing destination for me and so many others.

Now, go and make a date with your destination; I’m sure you could do with some re-fueling!

Us Normal Little People

When I asked a friend what he thought of the latest Marvel Comics movie, The Avengers, he provided me with a very succinct and quotable answer.  In fact, I reckon it should be included in every single positive review of the movie...no, wait, hang on...I'm assuming there will be negative reviews - silly me.

"It was too short."  That's what he said, and that's a sentiment I share wholeheartedly.

When I first saw the trailer for the movie, I was so excited I could hardly contain myself, so when I bought my ticket to go see it the first time (yes, it's not a typo, I did say "first time"; because there was a second time...and there might be a third time!) I was a little bit scared that it wasn't going to live up to my expectations.  But I was being silly again, it absolutely lived up to my expectations, and because of Joss Whedon being the director, it took my expectation and shot it out into space, far beyond the limit of the skies.

Who is Joss Whedon?  Did you seriously just ask that question?  Yes, of course I can hear you wondering out loud behind your computer, I have skills...silly reader.

Joss Whedon is the genius who brought you Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly and subsequently the movie Serentiy.  Yes, I own all of them...proudly.

But I'm not actually writing this blog because I want to review the movie, or Joss Whedon's epicness.  I'm writing because movies like these always leave me a little depressed if I'm not careful.  Think about it, you have six people with super-abilities and very high skill-sets defending the planet against Transformer-like creatures from an un-imaginable realm.   A planet filled with people that do not have the super-abilities to defend themselves.

And then I usually find myself wishing I had a superpower.

So, in an effort to make myself, and you all, feel better about Us Normal Little People, here's what I think:

Yes, The Avengers have a Demi-God (Thor) and two Gamma-Freaks (Captain America and Hulk), but then they have the following:  "A genius, millionaire, playboy philanthropist" (Tony Stark's words, not mine) in the form of Iron Man.  His suit comes entirely from his genius and his ability to push his own limits in understanding science.  Granted, he started out with very selfish motives, but in the end his diligence resulted in a Protector that Earth really needed.  Secondly, you have a Russian spy named Natasha Romanov.  She's absolutely human, but she has such a subtle and specific skill-set that, if you blink, you miss it:  She ALWAYS gets the information she needs (and she doesn't even have to shed a shred of clothing to get it).  Lastly, we have Clint Barton, another spy, also absolutely human.  He's the greatest marksman on the planet, not because he may have accidentally drank an unnamed green substance or injected himself with luminous blue glitter (or got bitten by a radio-active spider...haha!); he has this skill because he devoted his life to develop it and to understanding it.

My point is, I want you to look at your group of friends.  You will most probably have a representation of the Avengers in that group, and if it's not evident from the start, play a game of Find the Hero and you might be surprised.  There might not be a guy (or girl) in that group that physically transforms into a "big green rage monster" (once again, Tony Stark's words, not mine), but you may know someone that have overcome anger-management issues against all odds.

And if you step back and think that you're the Normal Little Human, remember Natasha and Clint; they're not called Black Widow and Hawkeye for nothing.  Find your skill and work at it, sharpen it and aim for the best.  Who knows, maybe one day you'll have your own metaphorical Iron Man suit with which to protect what is close to your heart.

And don't stop when you face the possibility of failure:  "And if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damn sure we'll avenge it."  Again, Mr Tony Stark.