Or is it still spring?  Who cares? It’s a lot warmer now and that’s all that matters. I know I disappeared for a while, but I am still here. Alive, well and grateful for life. I had to disappear so I could catch up on life. Every now and then we need to take a break, right? Life has been so good that I went and put on some 10 kg. Putting on all that weight was fun until I could not fit into my clothes. So, I had to decide: 1. Lose the weight or 2. Go on a shopping spree. Sure, buying new clothes could have been fun but I had to choose the former. I must give birth to some 5+ kids so I need to keep my figure in check. I am finally back in the gym. Do not get too optimistic though, this is still my first day back. I will let you guys know how it all goes. Also, does anyone have tips for dropping shoe sizes? I have not recovered from the pregnancy foot syndrome.

Let’s do some catching up. What have I been up to? Well, apart from learning how to raise Mbali (a continuous course) and juggling being a mom and a workaholic, I have been doing a whole lot of soul searching and relationshipping (yes, it is a word). My days are both long and short. I wake up, prepare lunch, take a shower, eat, drive to work, work, work (repeat 10x) then come back home, take a shower, prepare supper then play with Mbali (who somehow knows how to stretch the time she has with me and is never in bed before 23:00). She is sitting on my lap as I am writing this post. It’s 21:21 but it’s actually 4 PM in Mbali time. She just paused to look at me as if she can tell that I’m talking about her. She is still my greatest gift. Then, there is my boyfriend. That one is a whole topic on his own which I will reserve for another day.

It’s raining so beautifully outside. Oh, how I love the rain. For me, it signifies the washing away of pain and the beginning of a new chapter. Feels like being given a blank book and a brand new multicoloured pen. On the topic of blank books, I recently went on solo trip to Bluff in KwaZulu-Natal. Yes, I drove alone for some 800 km just to go find myself. It sounds ridiculous but I did. Do remind me to share tips on travelling solo. I packed everything that I could possibly need; toiletries, clothes (for both cold and warm weather – KZN weather is not loyal), a blanket, food and a good bottle of wine. I prepared a hot playlist that would last me through a two-day drive, confirmed my Airbnb booking, fueled up and setoff for my 10-hour long journey.

I would be lying if I said the thought of travelling alone didn’t make me nervous more especially because it was going to be my first time being so far away from Mbali (for three days), but I really wanted to do it and, luckily,  the whole trip proved to be more rewarding than I thought it would be. I needed this trip to remind myself that I am still the same old me despite recently becoming a mother. Despite all that I have been through to get where I am. The drive alone was more than therapeutic. As soon as I saw the beach and inhaled the salty sea air, all the fatigue I carried with me throughout the past year left my body. Talk about instant healing. I now kind of understand why people fill 5 L water bottles with sea water and sand to take home. By the way, is it true that if you don’t put sand in the bottle the sea water will somehow disappear? Anyway, I just wanted to confirm that I did find myself and that’s why I am back here sharing this post with you. Okay, I am going to stop typing now (I am exhausted and must go to work tomorrow). Yes, Mbali is still up and has her feet up in the air which is even more reason for me to stop typing now. I am leaving you with some pictures from the trip. Okay bye for now.

Feature photo by Nitin Dhumal from Pexels.