As Gasant Abarder rolled out of bed to face another daunting day this morning, he did so after giving himself a pep talk with gratitude on his mind. The next thought was kindness toward fellow Capetonians and an overwhelming sense that he was going to be lekker to everyone – even if they’re annoying! He writes in a new #SliceOfGasant column that it’s a refreshing way to lead into the much-awaited festive season.
My tired is tired. Sitting in crazy traffic, bank account running on empty, the cost of living rising, mental and physical exhaustion and salaries staying static for the most part. We’re all going through a lot, and those are the ones among us who have jobs. Think about the more than 30 percent of this country who are unemployed.
It’s November, and it’s been one helluva year. We’re crawling to the line for the festive season in Cape Town to start in earnest. Most of our challenges are out of our control. But we can do something about it. And that something is to Keep Calm and Be Lekker.
It’s easier said than done when fellow Capetonians have flipped you a middle finger in traffic on three separate occasions on one trip to work, for something you supposedly did or didn’t do. Maybe it was driving within the speed limit, and it was too slow for a fellow motorist, not pulling away quickly enough when the traffic light turned green, or you gave someone a gap in the traffic.
We all need some peace and inner calm. So, I’ve deliberately had conversations with myself each morning I wake up.
It goes something like this: ‘Myself, today I will keep calm. I won’t shout at the kids after asking them five times, very gently, to get up and get ready for school. Today I won’t react when someone goois me a middle finger. Yes, myself, today I will just be lekker.’
I then say to myself: ‘Myself, I won’t mind the challenges of my work day. Getting frustrated will not help me. Instead, I realise that I have a job when many millions don’t. So, myself, I will do it well and take nothing for granted.’
On the way to work, I will say to myself: ‘Myself, I’ll give someone a gap in traffic and hopefully create a chain where the next motorist will give someone else a gap, and we keep things flowing. Myself, I will smile at the guy or gal flipping me a middle finger. And I will wait for pedestrians who have the right of way when they have a flashing green man, and it’s my turn to go too.’
Later, on the way home, when I stop to get some goodies to get supper started, I will say to myself: ‘Myself, I will greet the store employees pleasantly, in their own language, with my conversational isiXhosa or Afrikaans where relevant. I will wait patiently in the queue without complaining when there is only one paypoint operational. I will smile and decline shopping bags even though the cashier can see I brought my own.’
When I get that dreaded call offering me an unsolicited free R5 airtime or a decent soul tries selling me a vehicle tracker for the umpteenth time, I will say to myself: ‘Myself, be polite and give the chap a tiny hearing or apologise if I have a meeting. He is only doing his job.’
What really drives the motivation for the pep talk to myself is gratitude. I have a roof over my head, a family, food in the fridge and I’m alive to experience another day in this wonderful life. Based on statistics, there are many – around 3 out of every 10 of us – who don’t have a job, don’t know where their next meal will come from and are giving up hope. There are millions more who live in absolute poverty.
If you’re reading this column, it means that you at least have access to the Internet. That implies you’re okay-ish. Before you blink, we’ll be through this month, and the holiday cheer will be upon us. It’s a special time in the Mother City to celebrate and leave all our troubles and cares behind as we visit the beach or spend time with the family.
Try my approach and you’ll see just how light it makes you feel. In the words of one of my favourite Capetonians, Youngsta CPT, I want to say to my fellow Mother City residents: ‘Don’t be junk, just be lekker!’
We’re almost there!
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Picture: Danny SwellChasers / Unsplash
