The Curtain Rises: Embracing the Second Act of 2024

We are at the precipice of a new year and the air is semi abuzz with some level of anticipation for a newness, something different , something better. I find it fascinating that the difference between who we used to be and who we aspire to be is ONE day - so congratulations to the PR around New Years Eve and New Years Day and no, I am not being pessimistic but I am sifting out what truths I am taking into my latter years (read 30’s) because most of this life has been a carnival of conditioning.?

Imagine if every day held the same excitement as New Year's Eve? If celebrating and envisioning a better future wasn’t reserved for the end of the year, but rather became part of our daily lives? Each new day presenting an opportunity to celebrate , dream, and show gratitude??

Without getting carried away, I hope your new year's resolutions are unfolding gracefully.?

New Year's Eve, according to the Gregorian calendar, marks the end of one year and the start of another. What is usually a night of sparks and fireworks, was mostly a night of slumber for me. I slept into the new year, woke up the following morning and went about the very quiet Monday with an astute awareness that I should probably walk with a pep in my step because gregory said so. My mom had invited my partner and I for lunch and the immediate energy shift was sharp and palpable and confirmed Ratzel’s propositions about Environmental Determinism. I recently moved out of the township, falling into the 65% share of urban migrants ‘seeking better opportunities in the city’ and needless to say , I was pleasantly surprised but not shocked at suburban celebrations that astutely prioritise animal welfare over festivities. Leading up to New Year's Eve, I was flooded with messages from my community group chat about caring for dogs during this festive season, from pleas about not using fireworks at all to the utilisation of CBD pet products. But the agenda is completely different in South African townships. Upon driving into Vosloorus, the streets were lined with empty bottles of the previous night's festivities , the litter danced in the wind like it was still in party mode and some youth were sauntering about, making their way back home or perhaps to a “2nd location?” The energy was different - although music still hung in the air and the residue from the fireworks adrift - it still feels like 2024 was more of a silent reaper.

3 months into the year and we are concluding this first quarter. There hangs a dangerous fatigue, an unsettling discombobulation around elections and the cost of living leaves much to be desired - who knew staying alive would be so expensive? I find myself lightly reflecting on the last 3 months - I was met with 3 funerals at the beginning of the year which shifted my entire perspective on what the tone for the year will be. It was mostly anxiety ridden until I realised that if there is one thing we can be sure about, because the ANC is not giving us much to work with - it is death. Gloomy stuff but real talk.?

I have since been able to shake off the heaviness of how the year started and in many ways, I am looking forward to walking into the 2nd quarter with a better sense of direction and less coasting. I cannot be the only one who felt like the first 3 months of this year was a rehearsal and now that we have slept, complained and cried through it, perhaps we are ready to step onto the stage and give it our all? Can we show up with a better sense of how we would like to honour ourselves , our deferred dreams and our pending aspirations? As with any rehearsal, there are changes you begin to make to your production, the characters, the flow and the script begin to morph into a different shape as the vision clarifies. So… now that we have had our 3 months of practice, I think we can take a deep breath and pat ourselves for making it through that daunting (crystallisation) process and enjoy where we are and possibly where we are going as soon as the curtain goes up. As soon as the clock strikes 12. As soon as possible because now is all we have. And even though we do not have fireworks stashed away in anticipation for tomorrow, it is still a new day worth breathing life into and giving gratitude for as we hope for better.?