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Juggling Five Balls (by Danie)


I am not really a writer. I am an ex-diesel mechanic - a practical person by nature. I am a hands-on guy. Well, less so since becoming a double-amputee with more health challenges than can be counted on one hand. 


But still, I help wherever I can to the best of my ability. To feel that I still have some worth I wash the dishes, floors and car. I vacuum our flat every day. I help Tanja with her amazing products by bottling, labeling and then cleaning up. Then I rest a while.

I possess another very unique talent too. 

According to behavioral observations it's called the "Taboo Fluency" Factor:

The ability to generate a wide variety of swear words correlates positively with overall language ability and verbal IQ. Articulate speakers use swearing as a rhetorical tool to communicate with maximum effectiveness rather than a crutch for missing vocabulary. 

In other words, I am a f***ng genius!

Writing became a way for me to express my inner frustrations and release my restless thoughts before my mind explodes or I get into an ugly fight (which I would definitely lose in my current condition).

Recently, while browsing through my (unpublished) book called Soul'd Out, which I wrote purely for sanity's sake, and where I swear to my hearts content, I came across a piece I had written on the 19th of July 2012. It was a pretty profound piece and I thought: "Why not share it again?" 

After all, I think it's just as relevant today as it was then, maybe even more so now.

_________________________

19 July 2012

            I read a really good piece today and thought I’d jot it down.

In a university commencement address several years ago, Brian Dyson, CEO of Coca Cola Enterprises, spoke of the relation of work to one's other commitments:

"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them work, family, health, friends and spirit - and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls - family, health, friends and spirit - are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life."

How?

Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special. 

Don't set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.

Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as they were your life.

Don't let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live ALL the days of your life.

Don't give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us to each other.

Don't be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give it; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.

Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where you've been, but also where you are going.

Don't forget, a person's greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.

Don't be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.

Don't use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved.

Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.





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Location: Western Cape, South Africa

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