My introduction post on Steemit exactly 364 days ago. Tomorrow is my Steemit birthday, and wow what a year! Thank you for reading my repost series!
Here I am. I have just discovered Steemit and as I generally have a lot to say I though, hey, POW! BUT then I started to think... Oh no I need a username and really my brain is a manic monkey and how on earth could I possibly tie my blogs together. The short answer is I can't. Then it hit me, I am tree (not one of those majestic fir or spruce trees) but rather a scraggly thorny acacia tree!
This leads me to the first scratchy branch. I am South African and I love being South African. I live in a country of enormous challenges, extreme corruption and crime, endless heart rending stories, but also of unparalleled beauty. Our landscape, our African sun and most of all our people! Although many of my friends and family have emigrated to safer pastures, my heart beats with the pulse of this country.
My husband and I have owned a small secondhand shop for over twenty years and have never had a "boss". Though really, being regulated is like having a boss anyway. In this economy making a living is hard, okay awful sometimes(!) but it has molded me into the person I am at this very moment.
Years of severe stress (the panic attack and palpitation type) has made me contemplate our society. A lot. Though what I believe is an ongoing work in progress. At the moment I believe that the way we live right now is utterly unsustainable. Our political systems are a farce and would be a joke if they didn't cause so much death and destruction. I believe we have been indoctrinated to follow specific life paths, numbing our souls with sports, rampant consumerism, alcohol...and well that list could go on and on. Not to mention our utter disregard of the environment, in the pursuit of profit. Since this is an introduction, I am only touching briefly on these all encompassing subjects, and they will probably be the subject of many a blog!
I also believe that our souls know a better way. For me personally starting yoga about two years ago was a catalyst of change in my life. Though honestly I probably would be classified as a "bad yogi"! I am not vegetarian, I drink wine (yes, I am well aware of the numbing effect of alcohol as I stated previously!) and I swear. I have to work at being compassionate because when I said I love the people of this country, well, it can be more like love/hate! I struggle with being judgmental. But yoga has made me aware of my (many) issues, decreased the panic attacks and palpitations, and made me realize, and I mean, really realize, that attachment, especially attachment to outcomes is one of the ways we cause ourselves the most pain. We are taught as a society to strive for material success and possessions and face it, because in this economy those go mainly to the corrupt few, we perceive ourselves to be a failure. We are not taught to strive for spiritual enlightenment and knowledge. The good news is that I think that there is....hope. Sometimes.
Some of the other crooked thorny branches that make me include the fact that I am a wife, a mother (to millennials, which by the way are the most awesome children and the source of hope for our future ) a friend, and a brat (often). I try to be kind, I know I'm irritatingly bossy. I talk to much, I eat to much, I'm constantly learning and bit by bit not to merely survive life , but discovering how to revel in it. There are ultra rare moments where I think I glimpse the smallest of spark of a beauty and truth so overwhelming that it hurts, and that is the trunk of my acacia tree. Thank you for taking the time to read this Namaste.
Welcome to steemit
Welcome to family :)
Nice re post. I have always been self employed as well. I never was "inside the box" kind of a person
Thanks @jetblake yup...boxes don't fit, hahahaha!!!
I thought you were describing Australia for a moment there. It's the way of the world. Whatever you do don't become the best you that you can be. Unless you're a rule breaker. I get the impression from your posts you may be a rebel at heart :)
Happy 1st Birthday.
I can't become the best without that damn copy/paste smile. Which I can't afford.
I hear the Smile Nazi - 'No Smile For You!' I guess we'll all have to make do, smash the TVs, burn the magazines. Will we miss those happy smiley people?
Of course we will ;)
True that. What else will I write about?
Congrats on your first Steemit birthday! And wish you many more happy ones to come. :)
And yes there is hope. When the time comes, things will happen. Keep up your good work, your yoga, your quest for knowledge, your personality! Nice knowing you, @onetree! Good luck!
Thank you @sandzat for your lovely message!!! (My daughter's the yoga instructor, no way I can skip....)
it is a very nice post. Can you post about your journey on Steemit. What you got, how you got, what should the beginners should do etc. etc. After spending your time on steemit your experience will be very helpful to others
I probably will sometime :)
An amazing post. And very inspiring. Thanks for sharing.
I also have problems with anxiety and sometimes panic attacks + health problems. Instead of yoga I started doing tai chi. And just the basic exercise of making my chi flow can sometimes feel helpfull even against something like hyperventilation. Hope things will get better in south africa soon. But probaly not aslong as people are dependend and brainwashed by corrupt politicians.
Yoga and Tai Chi deal with the flow of energy, so both help for the mind/body/spirit connection. It helps to simply realise when you are going through a bad phase that it does eventually get better. This sounds awfully cynical, but nothing will get better in SA, or the rest of the world, the way things are going at the moment. We can only find hope in our own reaction to the events around us.
@onetree - Congratulations for completing one year. It has always been a pleasure for me to see your posts. In many of them, you have introduced some great antiques to Steemians. Made me nostalgic most of the times to see those items. All the best for future. Hope you grow into a Dolphin and a whale soon. Upvoted
Hahahaha, thank you, me too!
welcome to Steemit Onetree :) Nice post, i will follow your account, please follow me .
welcome to Steemit @onetree I do hope that you will have a wonderful time on this platform, if you have any questions or if there is anything I can help you with do not hesitate to ask, I will be more than happy to help.
Please Follow me @Fshllc so that I can be able to see and read your posts, I will comment and upvote the ones I like :)
Let's stay connected and support each other by following, commenting and upvoting each other's posts because together we are strong!