LAUGH MORE

Life is so serious

People are so serious. Who can blame them? We live in a world with so much hatred, so much violence, so many reasons to be angry.

Road rage is prevalent, xenophobia rages, unrest, both politically and economically are the order of the day. But so are strokes, cancers, and other lifestyle diseases.

If we don’t all take a step back, and just allow life to have some beauty, and some calm, we will all implode.

So what is the solution? How do we go about this? The solution, is simple. Laugh more. Allow life to become silly again. Not so serious. Not so taxing.

Our debts will still be there in the morning. Our failed relationships, our real life problems. But we can allow ourselves just a brief moment of happiness. Of joy. Of laughter. Start off by smiling at a stranger. Just practice. Next time you are in a shop paying for your groceries, smile at the teller. Greet the gentleman assisting you with your petrol.

And you will find that your heart will get lighter and lighter day by day as you practice this.

Smiling is one thing, but how do you get yourself to laugh? Children never battle. They can laugh hysterically at the smallest thing. So find yourself a child. One of your own. A niece, a nephew. Ask them to tell you a joke. And then you try. Put on some good old fashioned Leon Schuster, and let him appeal to your South Africa humour. Practice. Try. Let it become a way of life for you again.

Life is so precious, and we only get one. Live it.

Finding peace within

Star signs mean different things for different people. I am a Libran, and according to Astrology this means I am constantly seeking balance. The truth is, that this is one hundred percent accurate. I seek balance in every single life decision, every single minute of every single day.

Simple decisions can take me hours. Because I need to know that it is fair. I need to know that it is right. As a result, my soul is in constant disarray. It’s almost like a pillow fight in there, things get flung around constantly. Nasty words, mud, love, kindness, good intentions, hatred.

So for me, my life journey is about finding peace within. Loving myself. Knowing that I am worthy. Knowing I am enough. Knowing that if I have hurt people, it wasn’t my intention. Knowing that if people have hurt me, it’s not my place to anguish over whether it was intentional or not. That’s not my journey or my burden.

One of my most beloved life teachers once berated me severely.  She said I walk down my life path picking up items that are not mine. I ‘steal’ other people’s problems, responsibilities, and lessons and pick them up and put them on my own shoulders. She asked me who I thought I was, that these people were being deprived of such valuable lessons. How profound that moment was for me and since then I have always attempted to leave them be. I am not helping, I am hindering.

This has indeed assisted me greatly. And me being conscious of my turmoil, and trying to treat it with love instead of contempt, has too.

And so, have I found Nirvana? No I have not. But my moments of inner peace have absolutely been more frequent, and more intentioned. And I am a continual work in progress. Every single day. Until I am no longer on this plane. And for that, I am supremely grateful

GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY

And another topic that I have had to rack my brains for. I have given back my entire life. To other people. To organisations. To friends. To family. And I find myself in a phase of my life where I no longer want to. Because I feel like at some stage, I have to also be able to receive.

Its not that I am not open to receive. I am. Its not that I detest the idea of giving back. I don’t. I just feel like at some stage my turn needs to come back. There are many people in need. Especially in South Africa. And I am so aware that I have so much more than so many people around me. And as I sit here, on Human Rights Day, I realise just how selfish that seems.

I realise that giving back, helping other people, is what makes Hayley, Hayley. And that I never ever must stop. Yes people take advantage, yes people use you. But then what about those that you are saving? What about those that, without your assistance, would be 5 steps backwards? Without your smiling face, your kind word, your hug, would not have been able to face another day?

So thank you Kim. I will never ever stop giving back. To the community, to the world. I have a place here. And I intend to fill it as brightly as I can with every opportunity I am given.