Harmony of Grace

This year in South Africa we celebrated the 100th birthday of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. Although he is unfortunately not with us today, he left a strong legacy that will last for many generations to come. A legacy that perpetuates the values of peace, reconciliation, inclusion, passion and freedom. The Mandela Marathon is an annual event that was inaugurated in 2012 to honour the life and times of arguably one of South Africa's greatest ever icons. The theme of this year's Mandela Marathon was Keep Running the Legacy . As I participated in the event on Sunday, I was inspired to experience many aspects of this legacy in action throughout the duration of the day.  The route of the race is challenging and there were some tough sections where I was tempted to begin walking, but my fellow comrades encouraged me to push through the pain and keep on going, symbolizing the fighting spirit that Mandela epitomized with his life. The amount of support from the many wa

Image Source:  Sven Gauditz What exactly is truth? Can truth be proven? I s truth relative? When we declare to speak the truth and nothing but the truth , are we really claiming to speak the absolute truth or merely what we believe to be true? For example, I personally believe that a true statement would be: "Water polo is one of the most difficult sports that a human being can play." Whereas, if you asked my wife the same question, she would unequivocally tell you that that statement is false. Can my truth be different to someone else's? I believe that it is true (see what I did there) what John Van de Laar claims in his book The hour that changes everything: "What we believe to be true forms the foundation for every part of our being." This is why so many so-called religious leaders can seemingly justify their hate-filled motives behind their belief that what they are doing is supported by truth. Because they honestly believe, for whatever reason, th

Image Source:  Eric Ward Last week a moving video popped up on my timeline about a homeless man in the UK named Andy. Andy bought a dog from a beggar and he explains how the dog (Bailey) brought meaning to his life and gave him a purpose to live... You can watch the video here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1jUXnAnb7A Andy, who was previously a heavy drug addict (Heroin and Crack) for 15 years, got to a low point where he was standing on the edge of a bridge contemplating suicide. But when he saw how his dog was looking at him and how much Bailey loved him, he realized that he could not leave his dog behind and so he made the decision to change his life around. Something that Andy said has really stuck with me. He spoke about how as a homeless man, it is so painful when people walk past him and don't acknowledge him.  "When you're stood there, hungry, and no-one is noticing you, just walking by as if you don't count, in your mind it convinces

Image Source:  9lives In July, I was lucky enough to run the Knysna Forest Half-Marathon with some of my close friends and family. The race consists of a grueling route through the beautiful Knysna forests and mountains. I had trained fairly intensely and was aiming to do my PB for a 21km run. We stood around in the cold for about 2 hours before the race. This gave us time to psych ourselves up and get our minds around the mammoth task ahead of us. Needless to say, by the time the gun sounded we were quite antsy and ready to go! After about 6 or 7 km's into the race, I suddenly realized that I had been so focused on sticking to my desired pace that I had completely ignored all of the beautiful scenery around me. I looked around and enjoyed the views, but within the next km or so, I again found myself focusing more on the figures on my watch than enjoying the experience of being involved in such a prestigious race. For the remainder of the race, I had to continuously

Image Source:  Lidya Nada What is the key to a happy life? It is a question that has been debated among psychologists, religious leaders and friends from all walks of life. (If you have come here for the answer, I humbly apologize about the misleading title, but you won't find it here.) So many people believe that they know a fool-proof way to experience a happy life.  One of the most common responses would be to become wealthy. Some will claim that its all about having a healthy lifestyle. Others will say it's about eating a lot of good food.  Some will argue for a Zen lifestyle full of yoga and meditation.  Others will debate that gaining plenty of knowledge and wisdom is the best way.  Still others will just tell you in Bobby McFerrin's famous words: "Don't worry, Be happy."  And if you ask most husbands they would say: "happy wife, happy life."  There are many different techniques that people try in order to live a happy life.