Who’s in the garden this morning?
- 12 warthogs
- 2 wildebeest
- 13 bushbucks
- 11 kudus including 1 Big Daddy
- Frank and The Misses (twice)
- 1 duiker
It would be easy for a new reader to begin reading our posts since we arrived in South Africa and make an assumption that we are the kind of people that always say, “Everything is fantastic,” implying that it is that way all the time. As I recall, I can easily think of people who always say that everything is perfect, when in fact that may not be the case.
Of course, most will not answer, “How are you?” with a negative response, revealing how much they “really” feel. At times, it can appear socially inappropriate. When close friends are alone together over a coffee, tea or adult beverage, they may be more inclined to reveal any negative aspects of their lives at the moment or in the past.
On a daily basis, we find that most people say that they are “good”, in an attempt to stay and to appear optimistic and positive, whatever their life circumstances. Let us admit that life is sometimes difficult, even when there is nothing particularly difficult at the moment. And, when there are challenges, we often try to keep them to ourselves, to avoid appearing negative, or to be whining.
In our lives of world travel, almost nine years later, with so much revealed on a daily basis, it’s difficult to hide how we “really” feel or how we’re doing at any given time. In a perfect world, I would keep my mouth closed (fingers on the keypad) and always be positive. But, I truly believe, if we operated on this basis, few readers would have stayed with us for these many years.
Not that I like the show, but what made the TV series, “The Kardashians” so popular was the strife, the fights, the fears and the insecurities of its family members and friends. The same thing goes for all the “Real Housewives of….,” another TV series that we don’t watch, with it’s altercations, angst, jealousies and the general disharmony of the group.
Well, in our case, although we aren’t as popular as either of those reality shows, we, too, go through periods when we experience negative experiences, thoughts, fears and disappointments. We share them here. Some have asked if we get along as well as we present online and, we do. What you see of us, as a couple, is who we are.
We have no drama, we seldom snip at one another, and on the few occasions when Tom gets grumpy for a few minutes, I totally ignore him. Only minutes later, he’s his usual cheerful self, as if nothing happened at all. Since I don’t like confrontation, years ago, I chose not to do “grumpy,” resulting in the fact that I don’t fight, argue and carry on when things don’t go my way. There’s usually a solution to most frustrating situations.
But, as mentioned, our lives aren’t perfect. At our age, we have to be realistic about aches and pains, lack of sleep, and occasional gastrointestinal distress. Based on our lifestyle, we don’t run to the doctor at the first sign of discomfort, pain or general malaise. Of course, if an issue lingers or feels life-threatening, we’d immediately address it seeking appropriate medical care.
We often find, we can figure out why we’re having a problem and how we can remedy it on our own. No, we don’t bother to mention every ache, pain or sleepless night we experience. But, on those days, feeling out-of-sorts, we may feel life is far from perfect.
Then, there are those days, which are in the majority, when “everything is right with the world.” Whether we’re in Marloth Park, or any of the amazing places we’ve visited in the world, those days are treasured and remembered.
May we all have plenty of those memorable days when “everything is right with the world.”
Photo from one year ago today, May 23, 2020:
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| The nutrient-rich hills of Madeira were being prepared for summer produce. For more photos, please click here.. |