Had occasion to go into town on personal business today, so combined it with pleasure and a bit of writing time. Once again, the journey was punctuated by self-imposed traffic officers (members of the public who feel obliged to ensure that the traffic flows at their chosen crawl) and it took almost an hour to get there. Numerous examples of unbelievably bad driving (such as stopping at the intersection of Ou Kaapse Weg and Silvermine Road to let the side traffic in - a sure recipe for disaster and illegal as well, I would imagine) had the old blood pressure on the rise and when I eventually got to my appointment, I had to fill in a form with various questions regarding my state of health and mind. "Do you ever feel irritated or angry when things are beyond your control?" - only when I am in the traffic! "What are your main causes of stress?" - various examples offered, the first being 'spouse'. I settled on that one and moved on.
Anyway, turns out the body is in better working order than a year ago, so that called for a celebratory lunch for one and a visit to the Waterfront to stock up on my favourite coffee. As I sat under the umbrella, gazing at my favourite view, Table Mountain, and wondering again at what a magnificent piece of stonework it was, I pondered on how much I enjoyed the atmosphere of bustle in town, when in fact I live at the edge of the sea in a small seaside village 40km or so away, and am perfectly happy there. How could I like both equally?
And then I realised that it's because it's not a place that makes me happy but the state of my inner being, which allows me to appreciate the beauty in any situation, the diversity of the people around me (even the driving), the quality of the light at different times of day, the smell of the freshly turned kelp at home, and the boats at the Waterfront with the underlying diesel fumes, the constantly changing clouds overhead in a sky of many hues.
How lucky am I?
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