While driving and listening to the radio, I heard the guest make a statement that he believed to be powerfully true for himself: “Comparison is the thief of joy.” I found myself thinking about this statement long after the journey was over. This aphorism, “Comparison is the thief of joy,” is attributed to Theodore Roosevelt, […]
The drive to the Tai Chi class earlier this week was a breeze. I sang “Schools out for summer!” joyously. What will the summer holidays hold for me this year-end? Driving home I listened to Clement Manyathela, last month’s Radio 702 award winner of the “Best Daytime Show.” Clement’s topic was about the gym and […]
A friend, Dineo, (not her real name) told me recently she was recovering from a stroke. A few days ago, my nephew postponed our dinner arrangement because his friend had had a stroke and the prognosis was not good. Indeed, the outcome was a funeral. Last Sunday, 24 November, controversial American preacher, TD Jakes had […]
Mid-year 1991 Joe Slovo, husband to me, liberation struggle hero to others, phoned me. I was a couple of hours drive away from our Johannesburg home. I was having solo writing time, finishing the last chapter of my PhD. “Please come home earlier,” he asked. He had something urgent to discuss with me. That evening […]
Around 02:00 on 28 September in the village of Nyathi, Ngobozana, in Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape, relatives assembled in two houses. The family members present, mainly women, settled late into their bedrooms after a long evening of preparing food and drink. In the morning, they would travel to another village, taking everything with them, to participate […]
It has been a tough week. Mapi and I felt subdued. It is not possible to live in a bubble, impervious to the Lusikisiki killing spree on the home front and the escalating events, mobile device explosions, missile attacks and counterattacks in the Middle East. This past Wednesday, 2 October, was Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish […]
My colleague Mapi invited Bhekisisa Mncube to write a follow up to the column he wrote earlier this year, giving the backstory and the post-burial trauma the family has suffered. “Some deaths aren’t worth any tears,” wrote Bhekisisa when announcing his father’s passing. He noted that his father was “dying for the second time”. Yes, over […]
What questions come up for you about end-of-life situation? I am sharing two of the questions that landed in my inbox in the last week. Question One: What do I need to do to ensure that my chosen, not-biologically related, representative will be recognised to liaise with the hospital in the event of my death? […]
Our flight approaches Johannesburg. The clear sunny winter sky becomes hazy, and then as we circle ready to land at OR Tambo I see the city through its dusky veil of smoke. Winter is always worse than summer. Our city has a kind of industrial metallic smell. When I’ve been away to the bush or […]
Sunday, 28 July 2024, is South Africa’s day to celebrate grandparents – so I am informed by the SPAR Digital magazine that pops up in my email inbox. Grandparents’ Day: I did not know there was one. I am curious. I discovered many countries have National Grandparents’ Day, but no international date exists. Mexico chose […]