WINNING LETTER
Food for thought
I picked up the latest FAIRLADY (October 2017) because of Emilia Clarke. (I should confess I’m a bit of a Thrones fan.) And once I got into it, I truly enjoyed the issue, especially ‘The Upside of Average’ – it GoT me thinking… hehe, see what I did there?) I completely agree that the word ‘mediocre’ is perhaps problematic, but its essence speaks to me. I truly believe that to be extreme in anything is bad, and for a happy life one needs balance. Yes, in my mind, diet and chocolate can and should live in the same sentence. I’m not saying it will be easy, but it should be a possibility, right?
What’s wrong with being average? And are we really doing ourselves any favours by pushing ourselves and our kids the way we do? Is it so bad to choose mediocre?
This issue has really made me take stock of my life and relax a little, putting emphasis on balance and happiness rather than succumbing to the pressure of the ‘do more, be more, excel’ mentality.
Thank you for a great issue. It was truly thoughtprovoking.
Nicci Wiggishoff
Ed: Thanks, Nicci. It was definite food for thought, I agree; there’s so much pressure to ‘be the best you can be’ and to strive constantly for perfection. I loved the idea of just living your life… It doesn’t mean slacking off; it just means you’ll be more content. That works for me!
Women of the Future
I wanted to thank you for the FAIRLADY/Santam Women of the Future awards event in August. A friend invited me to go with her to the lunch, and I went not knowing what to expect.
It was such a special day and I came home very inspired by the businesses those women had started. It made me think about my own life. I haven’t had the courage to leave my job yet, but it is something I think about, and that lunch moved me further along the road to independence. Joanne Fisher Ed: The Woman of the Future lunch is always one of the highlights of my year. Every single woman in that room is a powerhouse! It always makes me believe, as Dr Zeus says in Oh, The Places
You’ll Go!, that we can move mountains.
You marry the family
I have been a FAIRLADY reader for 50 years and this is the first time I’ve been prompted to write to you. I had a good laugh reading your article on mothers-in-law from hell. I can’t believe that women still haven’t learnt that to be happy in your marriage you need to start by choosing a nice m-i-l. I did, and I smiled for 38 years.
Fareeda Sale
Ed: Smart thinking, Fareeda! That’s very good advice. I was also very lucky in the m-i-l stakes, as that story reminded me once again. Some of those women… yikes!