Gratitude

A life without gratitude isn’t a life well lived, in my humble opinion. 

How many times within a day do you encounter situations where had it not been for the kindness of someone, sometimes even a stranger, your day would have taken on a totally different tone?

Living in London over the past three years has magnified this awareness for me, especially when you’re hopping around on buses and trains all day long. I can tell immediately when the pressure of the day is taking its toll on someone. We live in such close proximity, sometimes crammed into the smallest of spaces during peak travel times. You can just feel it when someone is about to explode. 

I’ve been witness to some very special interactions where people reach out to be of assistance to someone in need. I love helping people and for me a smile goes a long way and can sometimes make a person’s day.  I was told it would be a miracle to get a smile in return, it’s just not true I tell you. People are very open to receiving. 

I’ve lived close to gratitude for as long as I can remember. My level of gratitude has grown exponentially throughout my journey with cancer. I have so many people to thank for that particular time in my life, and believe me, I’ve found every opportunity I could, to say thank you. 

Which brings me to the reason I’m writing this particular blog.

There just wasn’t enough space on the website and I’m not prepared to begin this journey and not highlight the fact that so many incredible people have shown support for me and for cool mindz. 

Starting a venture such as this is not something I could ever have imagined possible. It has required tremendous discipline, trust in myself and faith that the guidance I received on a daily basis was enough to get me to a place where I could actually make sense of what has been in my head for a long, long time. 

Every day brought with it a little more growth, but there have been lots of stops and starts along the way. I’ve allowed myself to let each part of this unfold at the right time and made the decision early on to nurture it slowly. 

Once I began sharing a few of the ideas about cool mindz, the support began to grow around me. 

I reached out to people who were similarly aligned with this kind of work and the momentum continued to grow. I’m incredibly grateful for any amount of encouragement I’ve been given on the road to bringing cool mindz to life. 

Every person listed below has contributed towards cool mindz, whether it has been a testimonial, doodle, word of support or encouragement. There have been many occasions where I’ve reached out for help and before I can even put the full stop on my request, the thing I needed has arrived, without hesitation.  

I am immensely grateful to you all and were it not for social distancing, I would be bashing down your doors for a great big hug!!

In no particular order, thank you, Ricky Domnick, Mary-Anne Barlow, Jennifer Carr and Jonathan Lee, Susan Donkin, Adam Croasdell, Ashley and Cazz Sudding, Samantha Dowding, Byron Mondahl, Letizia Maculan, Bronwyn Evans, Jenny van den Berg, Richard and Letizia Mason, Sharon Thomas, Jeb Loy Nichols, Pierre Behr, Lionel Berman, Dawie Burger, Jaci de Villiers, Julie Hartley, Paul Hepker, Julius Semenas, Sivan Raphaely Patton, Kerryn Varrie, Tom Fairfoot, Cathy Underwood, Lisa Mendes, Katherine, Richard, Levi, Jude, Raphaela and Christina Smith, Shelley, Rio and Hugo Immerman, Tanya Peacock, Madelein Krugell, Janelle Visagie, Valentina and Gabriella Knight, Soekie, Kaylee and Dylan Muller, Poonam, Eesha, and Ishaan Parbhoo, Usha and Dr Lalla, Domi, Sne and Sizwe Majola, Laura and Madison Tobin-Setzkorn, Jill and Donna Craig, Bruce Majonga and Candice, Jay, Hina and Sami Thankey, Mikayla and Leanne Yeo and finally to Tyler Radan for your incredible kind-hearted nature, patience, beautiful strokes of creativity and technical savvy. I knew that you had my vision for the website at heart and would support it from the very beginning. Your talent and skill has truly blown my mind and I will miss our long zoom sessions to get the website into the shape I’ve imagined in my head. 

Unintentionally, there are some very important people in my life who know little to nothing about this stage of my journey. To my whole family starting with Bev, Heidi and Jamie and my close circle of friends who are placed all over the world, I’m so deeply grateful to have you in my life. I hope this is a pleasant surprise to you and will explain why I’ve been under the radar for so long. 

I have had my head in my notes, my hands on the keys of my computer, my head in the clouds and have been consumed with cool mindz for a very long time. I am so grateful to have had the time and space so I could bring this to you and I truly hope it’s something that brings healing and happiness during a difficult time.

My days have been long, my sleep sometimes interrupted by thoughts and ideas, but one of the things that I am the most grateful for, is knowing that just down the road from where I live, is a huge park filled with trees and when time doesn’t swallow me up, I can jump into my trainers, pop on my music, escape into nature and let go…and of course, hug a tree! 

Finally, I hand this all over to God, who is my constant protector and guiding light. Every day is a day of gratitude, knowing that whatever doors need to be opened, will be opened. 

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