From my heart

I had an interesting conversation last Saturday morning with someone that crossed my path. During our chat, it turned out that he is an undertaker, and he is a deeply spiritual person. He told me that every time he conducts a funeral he is reminded of his destination as a human (body).  He does not know where he is on the road, but he (all of us) are getting closer. When old people die, we sort of know that they have reached the end of their road, we are shocked and mourn them, but we expect it. When someone young dies, it comes as a shock, especially when they are about 20 years younger than you. It is more of a shock when you have worked with the person and have seen him every day. When it is a person from the office, you realize that his chair will fore-ever be empty, he will not be there to joke around. Seeing him, huddled over his laptop churning out reports for management and clients, no more. When it is a car-accident, it is sort of acceptable, it happens, there ar...

We went fishing again ... and learnt some life lessons. Easter Weekend my wife and one son went to a training camp, so my other boys and I went fishing on Saturday. Being Easter Weekend we got shown away at a resort because it was full and at the next resort we got place in the bundu (bush). It really was not a good spot to fish because of the tall grass on the riverbank, water hyacinths drifting over the lines and the build up of algae (like pea soup).  We brought several kinds of bait and flavourants and were sure that we are going to catch something. Diagonally across from us there were some fishermen camping. Obviously they were there for the weekend. And they were striking and pulling out fish regularly. They were casting towards our side of the riverbank, about 30m from where we were. So we were hopeful. But we caught nothing, some good bites, lots of bait lost, one line lost when Hedrik cast right across the river and ran out of line unexpectedly. Quite frustr...

Maputo 6/1/2014 Temperatures were in the high 30s when I went for lunch, I guess about 37C. Even walking from the office to the restaurant was torture. Sprawled between two parked vehicles, his head barely in the shade I saw him. He could not have been there last night, otherwise the vehicles would not have parked the way they did. He was laying in an awkward position, somewhat on his back, with his upper body resting on his left side, left arm slung out and the other resting on his body. He is very still, and from where I am walking I cannot see whether he is breathing or not. In the full sun, head barely in the shade.  Locals were passing by, as I was, on all side, perhaps casting a cursory glance in his direction. A traffic policeman merely 20m away from him, surely he must have seen him, someone must have told him. And I felt just like one of the travelers passing by the injured man on the road to Jerusalem. Who is going to be his Samaritan? He is laying ...