In my previous post – thank you for the wonderful and encouraging comments! – Karen mentioned the Myers-Brigg Personality Type Indicator and Ellen encouraged me to do the test.  I’ve done it before – years ago – and can’t even remember what I was, a clear indication that I was more into avoidance than introspection at the time! So, I decided to do it again this morning.  It turns out I’m ISTP – Introvert (no big surprise there!) Sensing Thinking … Read More »

I’m a closet hippie.  Minus the drugs, of course, and possibly with more soap. (I didn’t really know this until recently, but now that I do, so much about myself and my life makes perfect sense to me.  That’s another day’s navel-gazing, though.) A hippie is a person who opposes and rejects many of the conventional standards and customs of society.  The hippie philosophy is peace, love, freedom and cooperation.  And as I’m emerging from my closet of cultural indoctrination … Read More »

In each of our lives there are moments that literally determine the rest of our lives.  Moments that can dramatically change the course of our lives. I used to believe that fate brought those moments to our doorstep; that they were for the lucky and the “chosen”.  The rest of us were pretty much stuck up the creek without a paddle, fated to drift with the current for the rest of our lives.  There are many forces hard at work … Read More »

It’s New Year’s Day and guess what?  I’m still the same person I was yesterday.  The change from one year to the next did not suddenly imbue me with mythical powers of will I didn’t possess before.  All my weaknesses and my strengths were still with me when I opened my eyes this morning.  Which is why I am not making resolutions this  year – they wouldn’t last a week!  They never do. That doesn’t mean that I’m just going … Read More »

It’s that time of the year when we take stock of what we achieved and learned in the past twelve months and we look forward to a blank new page on January 1 where we can start afresh.  If you’re anything like me, the last few months of the year are always a bit of a slog, and you’re more than happy to see the back of the current year. 2011 was a watershed year for me in many ways … Read More »

There are times when all we need to keep going is a little resolve and a lot of hard work.  But sometimes that is simply not enough.  Sometimes the hole in which we find ourselves is just too deep and the walls too smooth to ascend.  We need a little help. Some people recognize quite early on that they’re out of their depth, but some – me, for instance – suffer needlessly for months before they see the light.  Ah … Read More »

It’s a beautiful sunny day in Cape Town.  Sure, the wind is blowing, but it is December after all, and here on my balcony it doesn’t bother me at all.  I’m watching the pleasure boats cavorting in the waves, listening to good music and sipping from a cup of my favorite Vanilla Chai tea, hoping that the scenery and the solitude will bring peace to my frazzled being.  It’s Day 3 of my 4-day weekend and I’m enjoying every moment … Read More »

Remember when your mother, or grandmother used to tell you to chew your food well? Yeah, me too. The problem was that I always had my eye on a second portion, so I needed to finish the first one quickly to be in the running for more.  Not that we were poor or anything, but my mother didn’t cook for an army, just our little family of four. So, I learned to wolf down my food.  I didn’t realize that … Read More »