She is very beautiful. With hair swept back and a face that shouted kindness. She instructed me to open my mouth wide, which I happily did. Well, no. I did that begrudgingly. She searched my teeth with expertise — and if I'm honest, she made those metal dental tools look less frightening. And there was …
Conversation and emotions
It is fascinating, I find it, for a human being to talk about their issues and some time after that, feel better. Lighter. Upbeat. It is astounding. I mean, you haven't solved the problem(s) yet. Just merely spoke about them. Talking has that much impact. I am always impressed, for instance, by how much clarity …
#ThembaJayWriting decoded
Writing copy is the art, the science of being able to discern what word should go where and how just three words can carry a company’s slogan in the form of a tagline; think Nike—Just Do It!; Apple—ThinkDifferent; FNB—How Can We Help You?; Redefined Properties—We’re Not Landlords. We’re People. The ability comes from constant writing …
Confidence & Money: How much is enough?
You know, when you come from the bottom-of-the-bottom; when swimming against the tide becomes second nature and that, that, for many people ends up killing the desire to dream at all. Dream. It sounds fickle and ‘cute’, but, many of our beloved—and gifted—peers ekasi walk around believing they ain’t shit! That they aren’t worthy of …
#ThembaJayWriting—never on flight mode
My writing has always taken the route of documenting the things I see, go through and learn. So, it was difficult to not riff about my day—flight mode couldn’t even stop me. Anyway, the Saturday started lazily, with a brisk walk to emagwinyeni (you know those are a favourite, especially when made by a skillful …
The science of becoming better
I ran the other direction. As fast and furiously as I could manage. The place, I thought to myself, is not good for me. Certainly not conducive for my goals, and often, it doesn’t offer freedom for persons wanting to be their weird and best selves. As you know, almost nothing ever grows right from …
Worldview: The township and taverns
I am sitting in the veranda, stars glistening ever so beautifully, crickets in various spots shouting in unison, it's become an orchestra, quite frankly. All the while, from afar, I hear music blaring violently. It's a Sunday. The streets are dead quiet! But, I can mental-picture clusters of people, smothered, crushed together and sweating up …
Toothache, books and my bed
First, I gotta honestly tell ya! The pain is searing. I have been postponing the extraction of the tooth that's giving me hell. Part of the reason is, I convinced myself that the pain came from my gum tissues than a ruined tooth. Denial much? Second thing I wish to share with you is this: …
Care: best way to have a great conversation
Have you ever been so engrossed in an exchange that you lost all sense of time and your surroundings? I have. Manier times than I care to count. And now that I think about my best conversations, the reason is quite simple why I enjoyed them as I did. I deployed care and genuine curiosity. …
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Looking inward in order to impact the world
The sky, as the clock stood at 12:20 AM, central African time, was somewhat navy. Beautifully dark. Crystal. And I should tell you that it had been so from the morning – without a trace of clouds. The feel of the wind was just a mixture of warm and cool. Warm enough to wear short-sleeved …
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