Time to see the ‘smaller picture’
ONCE more the day’s papers and the news regurgitated mayhem, corruption, murder, femicide, strikes, land grabs, rubber bullets, racism . . . just another normal day in South Africa!
In disgust I took my hat and stick and set out for a walk. And to hell with the dangers lurking, I ventured onto the trail through the veld behind my home in magical Schoenies.
Soon I was enthralled by the warm spectacle of nature slowly regaining its green splendour from the devastating fires recently. The morning sparkled, and the lazy sea, gently kissing our shores, murmured softly before losing itself in an azure blue horizon. Exhilarated, I lived in the moment.
My ramble behind Schoenies brought me to the top end of Rheta’s Trail, truly a little garden gem and one of Port Elizabeth’s best-kept secrets. Once again, I revelled in the amazing variety of aloes, succulents and a variety of plants on display.
I also wondered at the creativity of Rheta Taylor, who can make ugly pieces of scrap iron, dilapidated old shoes, broken-down chairs – in fact, anything taken from a scrapheap – into something beautiful. But more so, I am in awe of the motivation behind Rheta’s concept, the hours and hours of work laying out the trail and keeping it in the wonderful state it is in; all this done unconditionally for everyone to enjoy without any anticipation of any material reward whatsoever.
My walk took me up to the cannon, then next the sea as I slowly strolled back to Periwinkle Cottage. As I walked, my mind flooded with thoughts.
Perhaps we in South Africa are so brainwashed and conditioned by the chaos and violence around us, the “bigger picture” as it were, that we do not see the “smaller picture”.
People like Rheta, my newspaper delivery guy who does not miss a beat, the petrol attendant’s witticism, the car guard’s no-front-teeth grin lighting up my day – just ordinary folk getting on with it, getting on with life, moving South Africa forward!
I then made myself a cup of coffee and turned to my favourite page in The Herald: the crossword. And suddenly the outlook for our beautiful country did not seem quite so bad. Or does it?