👟👠 How audacious of me (#25)

Hi !  Welcome back. This week I am thinking (and writing) about snow, the bush, pineapples and love, and audacity. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can join here or by clicking the button below. - Eve D.❣️

WEEK IN REVIEW

It has been a fun week. Lots of good things landed in my lap, and I am excited for the next couple of months.

💯 Thursday was 100 days till the end of the year, if you like to keep track of these things.

WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER?

It’s amazing what happens when you open your heart to new experiences! If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know that I recently did a walking trail in the Kruger Park (I walked 26km with friends and two armed rangers), and that was considerably out of my comfort zone. A year or so ago I would have laughed at anyone who predicted such behaviour from me. But times change, and so do people. So guess what I am doing in (…checks watch…) six hours and 15 minutes?

I’m going on a five hour road trip to spend the weekend at a remote bush farm. Nothing but Africa, open skies and some leopards and snakes. Like, literally nothing else. No power. No cellphone reception. No hotel beds. I believe there is running water, but no promises. Lots of opportunity for majestic hikes.

On Monday, when I was invited, this was all hugely appealing: brilliant company, plenty of peace and quiet, evening fires and midnight skies. I imagined myself sitting on a camping chair, drink in hand, editing my book under the African sun. Very Hemmingway of me. Then the gods started to laugh.

We are, in theory, in full-on spring/summer in South Africa. Yesterday, it was 30 degrees. A couple days prior, it was 35 deg. Trees have sprouted buds, flowers are blooming, the bumble bees are back (together with the mosquitos). But then, earlier this week, slight rumblings could be heard…could a cold front be coming? Indeed it could. And wouldn’t you know it… South Africa is about to experience its coldest day of the year tomorrow. It’s snowing. In September. In South Africa.

There is utter havoc on the roads. Some of our main highways have been closed. Where it’s not snowing it will likely be raining. Nevertheless, …in about six hours, I am bravely throwing a bag of turtlenecks, thick blankets, sleeping bags, and thermal underwear into a (big) 4×4 car, and I am going to brave the African bush, come rain or shine. I am excited as hell and cannot wait.

This weekend will be magical, I just know it. I’ll report back next week.

BETTERMENT

The Audacity of Eve

I feel as if in the last couple of years I have lost a lot of my mojo. I am not sure whether it started with Covid, my various health issues or lifestyle changes, but I have felt a little less brave, a little more withdrawn. I articulated this to a friend recently, and as I said it, I immediately realised that it was time to get over myself. I started doing more challenging things, and am facing adversity head on (see above!).

It’s too late to have a word-of-the-year for 2024, so I am adopting my 2025 word a few months early. It’s audaciousness. I am going to do audacious things. Things that seem outrageous, above my pay grade, outside the lines. I am going to demand the world gives me what I feel I feel I deserve. I will look for challenges, and will work my butt off to overcome them. I will act with confidence, panache and…audacity.

I’ve started. This week I cold-pitched myself as a contributor to a new financial magazine, and applied for a merit-based scholarship for a world class writing workshop for October. I haven’t heard back from either, but I’m still confident at least one of these will pan out, and if not? We march on! 

PINEAPPLES AND WINE

I have said it here before: dating is hard, and the apps are ridiculous. People are tired of being governed by algorithms and quick dopamine spikes. And they are taking matters into their own hands.

Case in point (prepare to laugh). In Spain, there is a new trend going on: dating in supermarkets. If you are single and looking, you go to your local supermarket and put a pineapple upside down in your shopping basket. You then go to the wine section, where other local “pineapple” people can be found. If someone catches your eye, you bump your shopping trolley into theirs, to show interest. 😂 The rest happens naturally.

Apparently this is taking off, and supermarkets are taking pineapples off their shelves in exasperation of the chaos in their aisles 🤣 . Never to be deterred, the shoppers/daters are using canned pineapples instead. Yes, this is funnier and funnier. Click below to see a full explanation.

BACKYARD MOVIE THEATRES

How cool is this? Mini outdoor theatres for your neighbourhood, to showcase independent films. Now, I know it doesn’t look like the most comfortable of experiences, but hey…it’s a work in progress. Imagine having this in close vicinity, with a different movie showing each week. As long as it doesn’t rain (or snow), this would be a great way to spend an evening.

I FEEL HEARD

When you meet someone, and it feels right, but of course it’s not love because how could it be? That kind of stuff happens in fairy tales. So it’s not love. It’s familiarity. As if you’ve come home. You have come home. If you know, you know.

NOT THE CIRCUS

I wish I was there to see it. I love squirrels.

MUSIC

This song was recommended by a Sneakers and Heels reader (and fan! Thanks @cathjenkin) and I thought it was both cute and hilarious. The singer is singing to her ex’s new girlfriend, and I imagine her sentiment could resonate with some of you 😂 . Above anything, it’s a catchy, fun tune. Give it a listen.

I don’t think you understand
You really took him off my hands
I beg you keep him if you can
You stole my problem

MOVIE

I watched Gladiator for this week’s movie date night, and yes it was good but my word is it brutal! I wasn’t quite prepared to watch men literally fight to death in the arena. I’ve since been told that that is not what happened in real life: the idea that gladiators fought to death is an idea spread by Hollywood, not history books. The actual events were closer to boxing or wrestling matches, where (although probably still brutal) at least both contestants lived to tell the tale.

Next week we are watching Karate Kid (I’m excited!), to celebrate Zac being chosen to participate in the Karate World Championship competition in Japan next year. (I’m excited for that too!).

Thanks for reading!

That’s it for this week. (Want more? You can find past editions here). I hope you have a great weekend and upcoming week. Please keep sharing /forwarding to your friends/groups 😄 . You can also email me privately by hitting reply on this email.

PS