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What do you really want out of life? Now what's stopping you?

Friday, March 30, 2007

Pent up Pain

If you are ever stuck for a gift for me, you can buy me the latest Terry Pratchett novel (it’s only 9 months till Christmas, and soliciting never hurt anyone). In his book ‘Masquerade’ one of the prime characters, a cantankerous old witch called Granny Weatherwax, grasps a sword by the blade and doesn’t get cut. Her reason is that there was ‘no time’. Later once she has more time, and a handy needle and cotton, she allows the wound to appear. Got me thinking about how much can we bottle up emotional hurt because we have ‘no time’ rather than allowing us to feel and live through the emotion and deal with any issues that arise. With the ongoing process of grief after my mum’s death this has been only too apparent. It would be easy for me to loose myself in the ‘bus-y-iness’ of work when there is no real need to, just to avoid the pain. Except the hurt and pain is still there, undealt with and waiting for a chance to manifest at the first opportunity. How often do we gloss over the emotional scarring rather than using a good ‘needle and thread’ to bind the wound so that it heals without as much damage?

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Teaching Out

This week I got to speak in front of a group of 250 ladies for the first-time, the only other man in the room was the sound engineer. This was not a matter of giving a few announcements (something I have done on numerous occasions before crowds of 3000) rather this was giving a researched presentation that many would regard as ‘the ultimate truth’ on the topic at hand. To make matters worse, I was unable to print out the notes that I had spent hours refining and had to make do with a handwritten list of points that I had scribbled out at the last minute. The topic was one that has the potential to be the most boring one to listen to-the use of flags and banners in praise and worship-or the most liberating.

It went incredibly well. Due to my intensive periods of preparation over the last few weeks, I knew my stuff almost by heart. This allowed me, even without notes, to free flow in my talk. We had tried to give practical examples through film excerpts (for the pedantic there are no copyright issues as no financial gain) to break the monotony. I left the stage knowing I had done my job well. There were no bored faces or fidgeting-which means that they were either listening to every word, or asleep with their eyes open. The true test will be over time-if people remember and apply what they learnt in the future and begin to reproduce it in the lives of others.

Friday, March 23, 2007

Long Day

Late after a long day at both offices so can't write much. Will try and post something a bit more substantial later in the weekend. So far most of my Saturday looks free-probably to be taken up by sleep.

Friday, March 16, 2007

Time marches on

It’s official! I am no longer President of the Zimbabwe Physiotherapy Association. My successor was elected today and steps into office immediately. Three years of service just came to an end. I would like to say that there was a rousing send off party, but alas there were no balloons or fireworks, just a smooth transition. Will I miss it? I doubt it. When I stepped into office three years ago, I was still the new kid on the block, and to be honest not too good at leading an Association where most members were either leaving, tired or retired. Attitude is everything, and my initial one was bad-I saw myself as a ‘caretaker President’ and that’s what I became. Hardly reaching my potential at all. Would I do it again? Maybe, but not for a couple of years, and if I do, it will be with a whole different attitude and strategy.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Whose comfort?

New experiment…been asking people what they think if I get an earring. The results have been wide ranging from-‘can do it for you now’ to a stereotypical ‘well just move to Cape Town’(with homosexual overtones). In general the responses have been fairly negative. On further probing, most people have no rational reason for their reasons, apart for the fact that it offends their idea of what a men should look like. Moreover, most responses have not been for my benefit (e.g. have you considered the pain, or I don’t think you suit it) but rather theirs, because they are uncomfortable with the idea. Made me reflect on my own words and ask myself if I have ever limited someone’s dreams because what they wanted to do did not fit with my idea of what they should be like.

Friday, March 09, 2007

Zim what?

The cynic in me wonders if the state police in Zimbabwe ever bother to scan the web for seditious and anti-establishment sites. If they do, this should get their scanners going…Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe…

Despite the current reality of high inflation and a booming and rampant parallel market, there are still positives out of the ‘Zim situation’. I would probably never have obtained my own practice so early in life (the previous owners having since both left for the UK and Australia). I have accompanied two national teams on tour. I have a life style that allows me the freedom to do extra things in the evenings (I can afford a full-time maid). I realise that these apply to me and not necessarily the entire population, but it is something positive none the less. Adversity can be the seedbed to greatness