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Each and every one of us has something that makes us feel a little self-conscious…I hope.
I’ve been self-conscious about a couple of things which I have been rather reluctant t share, it’s already bad enough thinking some people beat me to the chase and spot my ‘flaws’ for me. So besides this being a dare, it’s my chance to turn the tables around and make my ‘flaws’ known myself.
It all began in primary school, I looked like an average primary school kid, other than the fact that I was super skinny. I was that 12-year-old who could still wear clothing meant for kids aged 9-10. To my surprise no one at school teased me about it or made me feel indifferent, I did that all by myself. When the clock struck 1:30pm and I was home, it didn’t become any better even with everyone telling me how they envy my body. I was literally the black sheep of the family, with everyone looking like the ideal ‘thick’ Zulu women.
High School came and it was like I had been given my first set of spectacles, as I for the first time saw a beautiful reflection in the mirror and had found the perfect way to embrace this, I would model. I had begun to realize that I am “fearfully and wonderfully made”-Psalm 139:14 and the only person on the judging panel who needed to be impressed was me, myself, and I.
It was all good for some time but not over yet. As I became older, like many other girls my body was changing and picked up a bit of weight…just a little. An extra kg or 2 was the least of my worries, my problem now was with a couple of stretched friends on my butt a with my boobs being, in my opinion too small, 32A to be exact. I yet again realized that other than wearing a sarong and padded bra, there is nothing much I can do about it.
We, so often look at other people and compare ourselves, trying to see if we measure up to what beautiful not noticing the phenomenal creation we see in our mirrors every morning. just because a gift is wrapped with the most beautiful and most expensive wrapping paper does not mean what’s inside is necessarily just as eye-catching. If at times you feel that your ‘flaws’ are too big and not even a little make-up or great outfit can camouflage, just remember that how you are on the inside will always shine through and that is where your true beauty lies.
All I can do, all any of us can do is love ourselves the way we are and realize that those ‘flaws’ are:
F-fabulous
L-lovely
A-appealing
W-wonderful
S-sexy
Modeling:Where everything I thought was a ‘flaw’ or insecurity is beautiful.
StrawberryShare: Everything is beautiful, not everyone sees it-Gandhi
Posted on: June 16, 2013
Dare #2: Take a hobo for lunch
That sounds exactly like something I would want to do…not. Can’t I just take the lunch to him? Does he honestly have to come with me to a public restaurant and eat with me? I guess it was a challenge and I was definitely not going to fail.
I decided to keep this challenge as close to home as possible by taking the hobo right outside one of the UJ gates leading the wondering eyes at campus square. just to be on the safe side I took one of my friends to accompany me and play bodyguard if the needs be.
We went to his “chill” spot, he wasn’t there, while a tiny part of me was relieved that I could do this some other tim there he appeared. We introduced ourselves to this seemingly shy guy and let him know that lunch was on me today. You should have seen the look on his face.
McDonald’s was more packed than ever, you would swear they knew we were coming. As we sat and had lunch, I got to know his story. Thabiso (23) is from Lesotho. he lost his parents at a very young age, came to Joburg with a relative to receive an education, only to find that he would pass on in 2008. He began living on the streets, moved to a home in Brixton from which he and a couple of other street kids were kicked out because of the behaviour of some of the boys. Thabiso then continued living on the streets of Joburg which had previously resembled a better life.
Had he completely lost hope and stopped dreaming? To my pleasant surprise, he hadn’t. He would if possible like to become an engineer, buy a car and a house and in terms of a girlfriend or wife, his response was a “yes” accompanied by a the most shy, innocent smile I’d ever seen.
Thabiso
THABISO, A SHY AND HUMBLE GUY WITH BIG DREAMS AND A BEAUTIFUL SMILE.
Lunch with a hobo has made it to my top 3 ‘dates’ ever and opened my eyes to a completely different world.
Thabiso and I
Thabiso and ‘the bodyguard’ (Hlumela)
Dreaming
Strawberryshare: To those of you who have the means to make your dreams come true, do not take them for granted because others out there can only dream.
Dare #2: Take a hobo for lunch
Posted on: June 3, 2013
Dare #1: A full working day as a cleaner at a local supermarket
We all have a certain job that we have told ourselves we’d never be caught doing, dead or alive. It’s either because it does not measure up to our standards, involves too much work, the hours are too long, we have to get our hands dirty, we wouldn’t look good in the attire, or as nasty as it may sound we think we are just too good to be doing such. In my case that job is cleaning.
I decided to put my pride and all the stereotypes aside this past weekend as I dared myself to work a full 8 hour day as a cleaner at a local Spar in Pretoria. My day as a cleaner began at 8am on Saturday after I had tried talking myself out of it several times. I spent the day working alongside one of the cleaners and my goodness was it not easy. At first I thought what could possibly be difficult about holding a mop and broom for a couple of hours? This was my fist mistake, I was actually going to have to use the mop and broom and it was not just a couple of hours, it was 8 hours, 480 minutes.
As the day progressed I kept doing the same thing within the same isles over and over again making sure there were no stains that went unnoticed. Business was continuing as usual, customers walking in and out stepping on the areas I had beeeeeeeeeeeeeen cleaning, not taking note of my existence or what I was doing as they placed their size 11 shoe prints all over my floor. At some point I just wished all the customers could fly around the store and carry the trolley on their shoulders.
ATTENTION ALL CUSTOMERS: When we place the wet floor sign on the floor, it is for your safety and most importantly it means the floor I am trying to clean is still WET.
Working here opened my eyes to many things, other than the wet floor sign that I had been oblivious to. When people work in career fields such as cleaning it is not always by choice but because of certain circumstances in life which were far beyond their control. Opportunities that you have been privileged to have, they only dream of having. The jobs they do make a huge contribution to the success of a brand and how it is perceived by the general public. This local Spar would not have been known for its cleanliness if it weren’t for the cleaners with their mops and brooms. They are not invisible so from time to time say hello, acknowledge what they do, it makes a difference.
Strawberryshare: the next time you think any job is easy and insignificant, try walking in those shoes.
strawberrydare 