3 years

Today marks 3 years that I’ve been working here where I work. The reason this sticks out for me is that it also marks 3 years of change.

One week back (3 years ago) I had just returned from 3 months in Cape Town. My little sabbatical. My then boyfriend (of 2.5 years) and I had just broken up. My uncle passed away a week later and then, after applying for a Visa to go to the UK for a bit – I was told that it was declined.

Nothing made sense. I lived on neat Vodka and only ate when people forced me. It was an ugly – ugly time and I was completely lost. I hated life. I hated my ex, I hated that my uncle was dead and I hated everyone that worked at the Embassy that declined my Visa.

I think, that at that time, I hated myself too.

It was my grandmother, I believe, who saved my life. I say this with much conviction because had she not stepped in with advice, I would surely have ended up in a ditch somewhere.

She suggested that I go away. She suggested that since I had all this money saved to go to London and that upon returning I would have had to look for new work, that I should just get away. “Go stay by Conrad in Cape Town for a bit, go clear your head. go rest, and try again when you get back.”

And so that is what I did. I packed up everything and put it in storage. I booked my flights and off I went to Cape Town.

Those 3 months were possibly the best 3 months of my life. I did nothing but rest and read. Long walks on the beach, sleepy afternoons under the trees in the park.

Bliss.

There was no original time line. I had no plans. I was in no rush. I was simply wasting time. One morning I woke up and said to my friend that I needed to go back home. The time felt right and I was leaving the next day.

And so I did. The Universe was kind and gentle and I got lucky. The day I landed back in Durban I was invited to a job interview. That same day I arrived I went straight through for the interview and a few days later; 25 October 2007 I started working here. A month later I fetched all my stuff out of storage, moved into a cute little flat and started living my life.

So much has changed. So much has happened. I’ve learnt, I’ve grown and I’m happy.

And, I met an amazing man – never wanted to believe it could happen again.

Time, it’s a funny thing and we can never know what it will bring with it. I don’t know what will happen in the next 3 years – but I know what happened in the last 3 years and remembering this will help me, will guide me into the next.