Thoughts on a run, when everyone else is on a plane

Posted on January 22, 2018 by Bo

I’m surrounded by a rather small group of people in my life. A close-knit family, a handful of friends and then colleagues who I share pretty much majority of my week with. But in recent months, I’ve started to notice that more and more people are moving away, leaving me somewhat ‘behind’.

My decisions to dedicate myself to the blue bank has been largely influenced by the people I work with. Inspiring leaders, thoughtful team members and colleagues who have become good friends. But some of these leaders have left, team members have changed roles and some of my good friends are leaving SA.

Talking about leaving SA, the number of close friends who have left is now being counted on both hands, not just one. Friends who have made the decision to start their lives in other parts of the world. A re-start for some, an adventure for others.

Even though we have the technology and social media to stay in touch, I’m feeling a little sad. Actually very sad.

I’ll admit that it’s a heavy burden to carry knowing that I’ve decided to stay & commit to a life in Johannesburg and South Africa on a continent I call home, knowing very well that KK would be on a plane to any other destination without hesitation tomorrow.

My reasons for staying have always been my close-knit family, my handful of friends and colleagues. But what happens when they’re all gone?

Thoughts such as these make my escapism afternoon runs actually mentally exhausting.

Allow me to tell you how hyenas eat an elephant. It’s with ease.

Posted on October 4, 2015 by Bo

If you work in the corporate sector, you’ve no doubt heard the saying “How do we eat this elephant?” or variations of it. On a recent trip to the bush, we happen to come across a dead elephant and I got insight into exactly how an elephant gets eaten. There are important lessons that corporates need to know and perhaps the first thing I noticed is that everyone has a role to play.

The elephant had been dead for about 3 days before we arrived and it was already stinking so badly, we could hardly breath! The lions were trying to eat it, but were struggling. You could sense their frustration as they licked & scratched but failed to rip open the body of the elephant. As hard as they tried, they were ill-equipped to tear open the hard, tough hide and were forced to wait.

The jackals ran around the elephant, even jumping on top of it. They are the most beautiful animals! They also look deceptively tame as they mirror many behaviors of house-trained dogs. They too had to wait.

A day later on our trip, when the stink had become even more unbearable, the hyenas arrived. You knew they were coming by that familiar cry from afar. Typically shy animals which you only really get a brief glimpse of, we were spoilt when so many of them, both spotted and brown, arrived to do what they do best & they did not waste time.

They ripped open the skin of the elephant with ease. They gnawed open the swollen belly of the elephant and even climbed right inside of the animal, coming out drenched in blood and raw meat. It was both disgusting but amazing to watch. While the lions and jackals waited, their bellies swelled up by how much they were eating.

A vulture was spotted circling above the carcass but we unfortunately left to go home before it landed to tuck in.

The saying, “How do you eat an elephant? One small bite at a time.” was coined by United States army general Creighton Williams Abrams Jr. (September 15, 1914 – September 4, 1974) who used it to explain that when doing something that is difficult, do it slowly and be careful.

But the added lessons I took out of watching the hyenas eat the dead elephant is this:

Allow the specialists to come in and do what they do best. Wait your turn.
Sometimes the King of the Jungle (lion) needs to rely on the scavengers (hyenas). It’s acceptable for skill to triumph over hierarchy in large projects.
I agree with Abrams. It takes time to eat an elephant. It’s not something that can be rushed. But for those eating, enjoy every bite!

What an awesome sight to observe!

A surprise visit

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Bo

It was an unexpected Facebook message which read, “Hello! Hope all is as well as can be. I am going to be in South Africa from 4th to 8th August (work-related) and I will be in JHB on 4th and 5th August near Melrose Arch. If you can spare a coffee or quick meal, I’d LOVE LOVE LOVE to see you both!” OMG! One of my best friends from high school was coming from Portugal to SA!

From left to right: Vicky, Me, Monica (who moved to Portugal) and Karen

The last time I saw Vicky was when my parents bought me a plane ticket to Portugal for my 21^st birthday 18 years ago. Our only contact since then had been via Facebook. So I was incredibly nervous as my other best friend from high school and I sat on the couch waiting for her to come down and meet us in the hotel reception. What would we say? How would it all go down?

As I saw her, I could not control my tears! And in those first few minutes, all we did was stare at one another and hug and stare and giggle. It was so surreal. We had aged but still felt like teenagers looking into each other’s eyes.

Later, as we sat around baskets of dim sum, the emotions flicked between moments of uncontrollable laughter to those of intense sadness. The storytelling went from exotic travel destinations, new inventions on to tales of separation and death.

It’s weird. It felt like yesterday that we were strolling around the school corridors but here, 18 years later, each one of us had or is living through some of the toughest times of our lives. Comforting one another seemed natural and instinctive.

A lot happens in 18 years. We grew up. I never would’ve thought that I’d be sitting around a table chatting to my best friends from school about what I had planned for my 40^th birthday. Crazy!

Pals, thanks for a wonderful evening of reminding me what great friendship is all about. You guys are awesome! X

Relaxing in the Waterberg

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Bo

Last year was a year where “Keeping up with the Walkers” both in the road races as well as work & life proved to be a tough task. So getting away from it all was such sweet reward.

It’s the second year that we’ve started our December holidays by heading out to the Waterberg. It’s a week of doing absolutely nothing except for loads of eating, drinking and relaxing and is the best way to wash away some of the stresses of the year.

To be surrounded by the most beautiful scenery, visited by warthogs and buck in the afternoons and engulfed in a star-filled sky each night, the Waterberg is a magnificent escape. I left my phone in the bedroom and soaked up as much sun and quiet time as I could.

Pity it flies by so quickly…