We all have
dreams for ourselves. Dreams of reaching a goal; dreams of fulfilling a need;
dreams for a wonderful future; dreams that fill us with hope.
I had an
amazing dream too. Not an unrealistic dream. It was a dream of creating
something to fulfill another dream. Crazy? Not at all. Some dreams need to be
reached in steps. Planning and designing are required, then action and execution,
not just daydreaming.
In 2019,
shortly after Danie had his quadruple bypass surgery and then his first leg amputation,
I suggested that we sell our mechanical workshop which was based in Somerset
West, South Africa. We had built this business up from the ground and it was
very successful considering we were only five people. I was the administrator
and customer liaison, Danie was the team leader and head mechanic, Pieter was our
workshop foreman, and Obey and Fanwell our other two mechanics. We operated as
a well-oiled machine. Work in. Work out. Proud of our good name and quality
workmanship.
I told
Danie that, after we sold the workshop, I would like to follow my dream this
time round. And he agreed. So, I planned and dreamed about opening a niche,
upmarket wine and gin bar. I designed the setup and décor, and Danie (with the
help of a good friend) went about making and fitting whatever I required. I was
super excited and put my heart and soul into this new venture. It was a thrilling
adventure.
I decided
on a catchy name: Murphy’s Flaw Wine and Gin Bar. I have a cheeky black
Cocker Spaniel, named Murphy, who has a serious character flaw, and he became the
mascot for the bar. Of course, there was also the intentional pun referring to
Murphy’s law – anything that can go wrong will go wrong. However, at Murphy’s
Flaw, “anything” was forgotten after a glass of wine (or gin) 😉
As I was
planning the grand opening of my “creation”, the Covid-19 plandemic began. I was
unable to go ahead with the launch. Full lockdown! Followed by liquor bans. Followed
by further lockdowns. Our money was running out, our rent was still due, and living
and medical expenses still had to be covered. We had to move into a bachelor
flat to cut our expenses and sold half our belongings to fund the bar. Then we
cashed in our only policy, borrowed money from our children, and even tried
crowd funding. We got a videographer to make an awesome promotional video
(video below blog).
I really
tried everything to make a success of this dream. I was greatly ridiculed by
many religious friends who were completely opposed to liquor. What they didn’t
understand was that the bar was a stepping stone to funding my next dream – following
our children overseas.
Those who
supported me loved the bar, the vibe, the friendliness, the setting, the
feeling. It was a beautiful place. But, sadly, not enough to keep my little
boat afloat.
To add to
our dilemma, Danie was hospitalized three times during this time. Once with serious food
poisoning, once to try to save his left eye from blindness (which was unsuccessful) and then the amputation of his second leg. Trying to cope with
this on top of my collapsing dream was a nightmare. My stress levels soared and
I started suffering with stress eczema and hair loss. My landlord walked around
with his bible under the arm (on his cell phone, I kid you not) and constantly
tried to convert us to his convictions, but simultaneously he was terrorizing me
with threats to close me down. What a hypocrite. But my rent was in arrears and
escalating.
I tried to
find an investor. Now listen to this for a laugh – Steve Hofmeyer, yes really –
was interested in partnering with me, but my landlord apposed his “politics”,
saying he would draw the wrong crowd. FFS!!! After some time I finally found someone else who took over the bar (fully stocked) for literally all my outstanding debt. I paid
my children what I owed them and I paid my suppliers. Then I walked away from
my dream.
I cried for
days. My dream, my stepping stone, was dashed to pieces.
But … I didn’t give up!
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