Diagnosis: Plant a flower

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Bo

I’m feeling pretty exhausted at this time of year as I’m sure everyone is. So when my friend Melanie asked if I’d be interested in trying out a session with reiki master, Brent Feinberg, I thought, yeah… why not. I have no previous experience of reiki. In fact, my biggest concern was that my parents would not approve of it (it’s kinda esoteric) and my even bigger concern was what to wear.

For those not familiar with reiki, according to Reiki FAQ, it is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by “laying on hands” and is based on the idea that an unseen “life force energy” flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one’s “life force energy” is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy.

So I lay back and Brent first started with BodyTalk and then the reiki. The tapping of my head and chest was followed by various hand gestures and hand hovering all over my body. I stopped peeping and slowly started to drift off to sleep. If I was not supposed to fall asleep, no one told me but I found it quite difficult to stay awake. An hour flew by so quickly and I was quite dizzy when it was all over.

My diagnosis: The good thing is that my energy levels are very high. Brent says he can pick up that I am happy and healthy. *really?*

He did suggest however, that I try to be a bit more grounded and recommended I do some gardening. Not large-scale, but his thinking is that I go away and plant a flower or two. I like this idea. A lot.

He added that I am a very kind person to others, but not kind enough to myself. He also picked up that I was pretty hard on myself. *True*

The session reminded me of a conversation that I had with my dietician recently. She said, “Eating well is not enough Bron. You need to feed your body in other ways too.”

Especially in today’s times where we are living such stressful lives. Everyone needs to find that something that recharges their minds and their bodies.

Coming home after a stressful day and heading out for a quick run or even going to gym allows me to de-stress and unwind. But what I realised after my reiki session is that I also need that something extra that relaxes / calms / balances both my body and my mind and allows me to just let go.

What’s your secret?

Memories of the other famous Madge

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Bo

November always reminds me of my Granny. Annie Magdalene Loots, otherwise known as Madge to her friends, Granny to me. Her birthday was on the 4th of November.

My Granny was a very knowledgable woman with strong opinions. She never made it to High School because she was forced to drop out and look after her family. In return, she was given the house she lived in until she passed away. Here’s her Std 5 class photo…

To this day, I am incredibly proud to tell people that both my Granny & Grandpa were captains in the Salvation Army. In fact, My Granny’s house was right next to the church in Bez-Valley. Here’s an old wedding photo of them, dressed in their Salvation Army uniforms…(yip, they wore black)

There are many days when I wish she was still alive and I could be sitting with her, drinking tea, munching on home-baked vanilla sponge cake around the big kitchen table.

I remember…

The 10am and 3pm tea times
The huge pink gown she used to wear after her baths
New Year’s eve when we stayed up late to watch ‘The Sound of Music’ together.
The trips to the Jo’burg Gen.
The weekly shopping at the butchery (I can still hear the meat being cut).
The spagbol on Saturday nights.
My Granny’s roast potatoes.
Rhubarb growing in the garden.
Lemon pudding with custard.
The Vespa.
The 3-Quarter bed my grandparents slept on.
Granny cutting up liver with scissors to feed the cats.
Cheese Naks hidden in the sideboard cupboard.
Never missing the News on TV.
Listening to stories of her sisters and Betsy Anne.
She only ate meat on Sundays (ahead of her time with meat-free Mondays).
She wore an apron every single day of her life.

My Granny was 84 when she died 11 years ago. Having been diagnosed with Mycenae Gravis when she was 12 years old, she never let it get her down. She was a woman with very strong values and would always speak her mind. I’d give anything to sit and listen to her stories, just one last time… I miss you Granny!

The radio on my desk to make me cry

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Bo

As I was plugging my new desk radio in at work, I realised that by arriving at work just after 7:30, when it’s still so quiet and none of my colleagues have arrived yet, I will be able to listen to the 94.7 Highveld Stereo Christmas Wish List which should start sometime in late November.

Nothing marks the beginning of the end of the year for me, more than hearing the wish list on 94.7. I can still remember a wish which touched my heart almost 11 years ago. I had just pulled into the parking lot of the company I was working for at the time and sat in the car listening to the wish before walking into the office (a habit I do still to this day). The story was of a man whose wife had died and he was left with all the medical bills as well as bringing up three young kids, all on his own. With limited funds, his wish was that he could spoil his boys at the movies on a Saturday afternoon.

His wish was granted and he landed up getting free movies for a year for the family. I was touched by his crying and humble gratefulness and bawled my eyes out. It’s been one of the wishes I have always remembered especially because something so small and simple could bring joy to this man and his boys.

Unfortunately, the wish list has changed quite a lot and become somewhat commercial. It has also lost the special touch of Jeremy and I don’t think Wackhead brings anything to it. Even the jingle has changed. But I still enjoy listening to it because it reminds me that there are hundreds of people out there who are struggling, who are desperate and who are in need of help. This in itself is for me the biggest lesson to take out of the wish list going into Christmas.

But for now, it’s so cool listening to the tunes silently humming on my desk all day…

A runner’s thoughts on a 40km bike ride…

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Bo

So I managed to complete my very first cycle road race last week! *whoop* Having survived my first puncture as well as being shoved into a starting pack of almost 2 000 cyclists, I walked away feeling pretty chuffed with myself.

40kms is not that far. It took me 2h18 mins to complete the route on my new bike, knobblies and all. But let me tell you, being new to the sport of cycling, a lot went through my mind during those 2 hours. Here are some of those thoughts…

When I run, I am able to switch off and allow my mind to go into a different space. Not with cycling. There is no chance to switch off as you manoeuvre through other riders, constantly keeping a watch for traffic passing you and always analysing which gear to go choose for the best ride. It is quite draining, both physically and mentally.

Running is quick and we are done by 10am. Not with cycling. Even though we had all completed our races by 12h30, we still only got home after 2pm. It’s a much longer day which requires much more of an investment in time.

I slip my shoes on, strap on my running watch and off I go. Oh boy, with cycling, there’s a million and one things to remember to carry with: puncture repair kits, spare tubes, tools. The all in one cycling outfit makes it very difficult to go for a quick toilet break before the race. My apologies to those who might have caught a glimpse of my white bum and belly as I had no option but to strip down in order to do the job right.

I cannot change a flat tyre to save my life but what I did find is that cyclists all stop to assist one another. If I happened to stop, a cyclist passing me would ask if I was okay. I liked that.

The same goes for accidents. Two accidents happened right in front of me on my race. All cyclists stopped and some got off their bikes to assist the fallen. This is something you don’t see very often with running. I’m ashamed to say that on the odd occasion that a runner has fallen, very few will stop and assist.

Most runners complain of running injuries and niggles. But ask cyclists and they come with war stories of broken collar bones and broken wrists from accidents. Especially those wearing cleats. Injuries are high and the injuries are serious.

The race was timed mat to mat. I will repeat that in case Two Oceans Half Marathon officials read this. Mat to mat!

One last point: There is something to be said for being ‘bum fit’. I must confess that by the time I got to the 36km mark, I kept jumping up off the saddle as if I was doing show jumping on a horse, just to relieve the pain that I felt in areas of my lower body I never knew existed! Ouch!

I am looking forward to my next race and will definitely apply suncream! Check out my legs. This was sore jong!