A surprise delivery

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Bo

So I’ll admit that even though we’ve lived in the same complex for over 10 years and even with KK as head of the homeowners association, we don’t really know our neighbors. Yeah, so we give the occasional wave when some of them drive passed and we sometimes ~~spy on~~ watch when they go walking their dogs on a Sunday afternoon but in general, we mind our own business.

But when old man Trevor died earlier this year from a brain tumor and we only heard about it one month later, we really felt bad. I mean, how did we not know? I remember being woken up one Saturday morning at about 4am from a loud commotion of family outside his house. After that day, we never saw him again and only heard that he was ‘sick’. Did we not suspect something was wrong with all the kids visiting so often? And the garden outside not being taken care of? Why did we not pop around and ask? Sorry Trevor and Miriam.

So last Saturday when we arrived home from shopping, we found a basket outside our gate. A basket filled with avos from our neighbor Jason (on the other side) with a note saying we should enjoy the avos from their tree.

We were blown away! What an awesome gesture! Especially since majority of people in our complex are just like us and keep to themselves. It reminded me that such a small and simple act can do wonders and make you want to do something back in return.

It also showed that sometimes an acknowledgement can come in a different way, it doesn’t have to be conversation. This gesture spoke a 1000 words. Thanks neighbor! Thanks Jason and family. The avos are amazing!

Friday’s on my mind…

Posted on April 24, 2015 by Bo

I skipped the whole Dr. Martens phase when I was growing up. As a nerdish teenager, I viewed anyone who wore ‘those’ shoes as rebellious, as wild and dangerous. To me, only skin heads, punks and goths wore Dr. Martens. It was the shoe for guitarists who played in heavy metal bands and for girls who shaved the sides of their heads and wore short skirts. Even my sister had a pair but she was always bunking class to go draw and paint in the Art studio in high school. You see what I mean?

I was a child of the 90’s when grunge was in fashion but somehow got caught up wearing takkies and jellies . As a result, I never had a favourite pair of cherry red or black 14 hole Doc’s. Until now…

20 years later and I spotted Dr. Martens shoes one evening last year. I was hooked. I had to have a pair! They suddenly appealed to me. I fell in love with them and finally (!) after two decades have bought my very first pair of Dr. Martens. I love them!

The company’s tagline is #standforsomething. Ironically when I’ve told people I’m buying Docs, many have laughed and recalled back to the days when they were young and used to wear their favourite pair. So why now? Well why not? It might co-incide with me turning 40. So that’s what my stand is going to be. 40 and fabulous!

Okay so who of you still have your ‘old’ Docs or great memories of them? I know some of you are smiling right now. I know I am.

Have a wonderful long weekend everyone! Docs

A tale of two bridges

Posted on January 6, 2015 by Bo

There are two bridges close to my home which cross over the N1 highway. The bridges are quite symbolic for me because they not only remind me of just how far I’ve come with my running but also an indication of my ability to overcome whatever crosses my path.

When you stand on one bridge, you can see the other one. An entire loop from home and back, across both bridges is approximately 4.6kms. When I first started running this loop, it felt like a marathon, an impossible task, too difficult. I dreaded running it. Looking across the bridges now, I am humbled at just how far my running journey has come.

My 2015 New Year’s resolution list is not so much about looking ahead as it is about looking back because 2014 was when I learned more about myself than ever before.

My 2015 bridges at a glance:

Embrace the unknown. I took on a challenge at work not having the foggiest idea what I was doing. I was terrified but ended up loving each and every minute of the journey. I crossed the bridge!
Grab hold of the unknown with both hands: Consistency and discipline. I realised that only I can define what success looks like, both at work and at the races. But both require hard work and don’t come easy.
Don’t be afraid to tell people you don’t know; ensure they know that you want to learn. No one can possibly know everything nowadays. The speed at which technology is changing means that our lives have to be one of continuous learning. Not every run is the same but you need to be prepared for the tired legs, the beating sun and the voices in your head. Your role at work should be like running – a constant journey of discovery.
Done is better than perfect. I love this saying. I’m your typical blue, A-type personality who frets over the smallest detail. What I’ve learnt is to let go. Get the job done and move on. Cross that bridge!
Get the proper coaching and support. Being surrounded by people who believe in you makes one hell of a difference. Especially those people who guide your moves and allow you to grow, both in the office but also on the track. Trust me, your coach believes you can cross that bridge way before you believe it yourself!

Every time I run over any one of these two bridges, I stop and look across to the other side…

Here’s to a magical 2015, full of adventure and lots of bridges to cross, both at work, home and on the road!

The voices around me

Posted on October 5, 2014 by Bo

The people around you, both at work and socially, often have the biggest impact on your goals and the success you are in life. This was my conclusion as I completed my final lap around the track at training on Saturday morning.

Coach had us running 400m’s, then 800m’s a couple of times but I was so preoccupied thinking about the week that was that I hardly noticed the other runners lapping me. My head was swimming with thoughts about the people I work with, about the daily challenges I’m facing and the deadlines on the horizon.

As I started on that final lap, I heard the familiar voices from behind as they passed me, “Well done Bron” and “Keep going Bron, nice work!” My fellow runners.

This is definitely the one thing that stands out for me as one of the biggest benefits about training with other runners; the support of one another. When they catch me running my warm up out on the road, they’ll slow down so that I can (try) and keep up. They encourage me when I’m struggling to complete my last lap. They inspire me to run as fast as I can and constantly keep me motivated.

They build me up, lap after lap…

If you have a similar environment at work, you’re really blessed. Because it’s the people that make the difference. I’m not saying that every day is rosy and that every training session is easy. But I’m truly grateful that the colleagues I work with are who they are. I’m grateful that I have a manager who makes time for me, appreciative that I can laugh (mostly at myself) with my team and blessed to have work friends who care enough to support me daily.

And I’m especially grateful to be surrounded by such an awesome bunch of runners every time I train!