i've BEEN wanting to write this post since the long weekend, but alas, apparently im in the middle of getting a degree, so i had to reprioritise some things. but i am here, albeit for a second, but here none the less.
so, this past weekend, my mom, her sisters and my grandmother all came down to cape town for a womens weekend. a weekend of love, life and luxury. i was looking forward to massages, butlers, fine wine, good food...oh, and hanging with my family. i got a lot more than i had bargained for i tell you.
i generally am not a big family person. dont get it twisted, i love my family to bits and pieces, but i have never been particularly close to any individuals, except my grandmother (who is the coolest, by the way. even cooler than those sick beanies she makes. ja, i know!!). this weekend gave me that opportunity to get to know each and every one of them individually, and in turn, learn more about myself and who i am.
watching and listening to these women who are all the same, yet all so different was an enlightening experience for me. my grandmother is full of tales of the past and present, and never wants to be forgotten. through that, she treasures every living moment with those individuals she loves, and has so much love in her heart to give. full of lessons that never grow old, at her old age, she is still itching to guide me on the path towards a happy and fulfilled life.
this has passed down to all of her daughters, who all share the same ethos, but approach it in different ways. we have divas, and we have simpletons. taking and living each moment as though it was their last. sharing with me tales of their youth that they believe i can learn from, and which i did. all of them wanting the best for and from each other and themselves. it was a connection i have never seen and experienced between siblings. even between people.
they all told me tales of my grandfather who passed on when i was about 12. i know him the way i remember him from that young age, but they invited me into a world where i would never have known him. all so proud so many years later, and still filled with love and loss in their hearts and minds. the tales they shared about their youth, made me properly understand how they have all grown into such beautiful, incredible, powerful women today. women who are still growing in those respects, and then some.
and then i thought of myself in this situation, and suddenly felt incredibly priviledged, and inadequate at the same time. inadequate in that they have all set incredibly high standards in the way they live, share, love and work, that i fear i will never be able to reach. i felt so small in this room of women who had achieved so much in their personal lives, and in their respective working worlds. and priviledged in that i can be proud to be a part of such a united front. be a part of such a group of women. to be a part of the legacy that they are all leaving behind.
i took a lot more than i had bargained for this weekend. i had planned on getting spoiled in terms of material gifts, but instead, my soul and heart got a lot more spoiled than i ever could have imagined.
thank you, you remarkable women. without you all in my life, i would not be who i am today: awesome.
#imjussayin
rabi
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