I am an addict. I am addicted to chocolate, cappuccino, cheesecake and, thanks to Eskom and load shedding: TED Talks. You see, they (Ted Talks) are quick to download on YouTube, and the talks are generally not too long (so you can even sit through a bad one), and invariably, interesting. Topics can range from Capitalism through to the 4^th Industrial Revolution, Education to Scanning Scammers, or more personal humane topics by ordinary people. Speakers come from all walks of life, countries, and nationalities. And no, it has nothing to do with TEDdy Bears. Some of the talks I have taken to hart, some I felt were good enough to share, and some others, well, what can I say. (You asked for it, Speaker, now you deal with it.) But seldom is a prophet honoured in his own country. And so, I was very surprised to come across a South African who did some talks, but once I found him, his insights did grab me, and I have even ordered his latest book (along with a back-up power station) to see us through endless hours of load shedding.

The speaker (John Sanei – should you want to Google him) is described as a Global Speaker, a Trend Specialist, and a Futures Strategist. But despite this impressive resume, even he did not see Covid coming, and I quote from an interview with him: ” I know that what I have learnt in the past 2 years will help me for the rest of my life…..that you will use the time of reading this book (the one I ordered!) as a moment to consider who you will become in this new world of ours.” One of his TED talks was titled: How to dramatically shape the future through resilience. He directs us to be comfortable with change, and to position ourselves to be relevant. Manage your behaviour, and adapt to this new reality, he says. He had a lot more to say, but for that, you now know where to go search for his talks. But, in having listened to him, I could not help but to pat myself on the back and acknowledge that Colin and I had the courage to make the change, take the leap and be the change we were dreaming of – all that before a trend specialist and futurist came along to enlighten us during a dark moment of load shedding. For those of you on the outside looking in, our current reality sounds like Utopia. Those closer to us, will know that there has been nothing easy about our leap, and that I often use the word “resilience”. Colin calls this “Forward in Faith.”

Faith is defined as complete trust and confidence in someone or something or a strong belief in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual conviction rather that proof. Going forward in faith, Aunty Google tells me, means to press through obstacles, press doubt and fear under your feet. Those are big philosophies. Clearly Colin is the thinker here, and me? I am addicted to chocolate, cappuccino, cheesecake, and TED Talks.

A rainbow is believed to be a sign of hope. The beauty after a storm. For some, a rainbow carries a personal symbolic meaning representing inclusivity and diversity, an all-embracing image of love and friendship. From our stoep (a stoep for my cousins from other mothers, is a veranda) outside of our temporary home, we are often fortunate to see a double rainbow. On one of our beach walks some time back, we were positioned just right to see rainbows forming behind the waves, as they were rising to crash down onto the shore. That was a rather special moment, but not one that could be easily photographed. If a rainbow was a song, I think it would be the song “Imagine”, by John Lennon. Just as the song makes us long for a better place, so too a rainbow tricks us into believing in that better place. The song was a strong political message sugar coated in a beautiful and gentle melody. A rainbow comes in soft colours, that contradict the fact that it often comes on the back of a storm. In the words of Justin Hayward: Never blame the rainbows for the rain. One should never pay too much attention to lyrics, because John Lennon did imagine a world with no possessions at a time when he was super wealthy. But let me move on, before I become too distracted with ideas that no one will ever share on a TED talk.

At the time that we made our shift, I had a few close colleagues at work. Each of us nurtured a dream to move on to a better version of us. We all agreed that some things are not worth compromising your mental health. Two of them, sadly passed away during one of the severe Covid waves. Two others, like me, decided to step out. I recently spoke to my very good Stoep Friend. You see, we had many a kuier (that’s a visit, cousins) on her stoep, discussing our next steps forward. Within a short period of time, each of us set off chasing our rainbow, expecting a pot of gold at the end of it. The concept of a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, I believe is rooted in historical Ireland, and goes back to the time of Viking invaders and Irish monks hiding their treasure. After the invasions had ceased, the original monks were not around anymore, and the new monks had no idea where to find the treasure. Long story short: the cunning little leprechauns found the gold, and no, they were not sharing. Stoep friend, it turns out, is not finding her gold at the end of the rainbow and is contemplating to look for it at the other end, surely it must be there. Not that I mind, as the other end of the rainbow will bring her closer to where I am, and I am already planning our stoep reunion. I just hope, that by that time, we have stoep to sit on. If not, I have plenty of coffee shops, farm stalls and beach walks to introduce her to. I am looking so forward to finding her at the end of our friendship rainbow. We really are two opposites, two peas from completely different pods, but somehow, we have formed a lasting friendship, and I will be so happy to have my friend closer. Time and distance were not meant to separate us.

As for our rainbow, and what we hope to find at the end of it? Well, a double rainbow means there are 4 possible ends to dig up. Our pot of gold is a bit like the Kruger coins. We know it is buried somewhere and not necessarily at the end of any rainbow. You see, we do proudly own the property where our treasure will be. Should we not find any treasure, we will set forward in faith and create our own treasure. With a bit of luck of the Irish, we may find it buried beneath that B&%#$ed Eskom cable.