A picture is worth a 1000 words ... and 10 lessons

I took this close-up picture of this leopard. Yes, me. And not from afar and not by zooming up the camera lens. This was close up photography, with this majestic animal a mere few feet away. And, at a national park where these sightings of leopards are extremely rare.



So how did I get so lucky? Well, let me reveal a few lessons I learnt while on a simple bush drive around Pilansberg National Park.



Who knew looking for animals would reveal life lessons, human nature observations on top of seeing animal species. Whether you're about to go on a self-drive excursion around a wildlife reserve or not, these lessons apply to both life in general (humanity) and actual ways to improve your driving experience if in a game park.



Lesson 1: Fast drivers, like humans on the busy rat race of life, miss out on smaller sighting opportunities and experiences. Going slow, whether in a game drive or in life, allows you to see and appreciate smaller things, experience smaller, or though not less significant things. Sometimes slowing down to a halt always results in good things coming to those who wait.



Lesson 2: Watching an interaction between a tortoise and a mother warthog captivated us for some time, while other drivers noticed and immediately drove on, or drove passed completely in search of bigger, more popular game. This experience was amazing, truly. The lesson here is to not race for the big things in life, everything is significant and deserves your offering, offering equal rewards but in different forms.



Lesson 3: Seeing many birds of the same species makes them a common sighting. However, a common sighting, just like a common experience, does not mean that the experience or subject is any less significant. Whether irregular or regular, significance must be awarded every time.



Lesson 4: A leopard approached our vehicle. Walked closely by the vehicle, around the vehicle, never reacted to us reversing next to it to get a better view and never once giving us attention or showing signs of danger. Calm, just pure calm. The complete opposite behaviour then showcased on media or sign boards. While some animals may be dangerous, it was amazing to see that everything warning us about this leopard or predators was wrong. Animals are not dangerous, they are actually calm and peaceful when not provoked. Don't believe the horror stories or danger warnings surround animals. Leave them unprovoked and they won't react negatively to you. Humans are the dangerous ones. Maybe we can learn how to react and how to behave by simply viewing so-called dangerous animals.

Lesson 5: Don't leave 'the game' too early. We were going to leave the park early - due to concern over the time of day and other work tasks we had to get to - but we didn't. And in five minutes of deciding to make the most of the game drive experience, we were rewarded by a rare leopard sighting and other animals we wanted to see appearing. Lesson here is to enjoy the experience, be in the moment, focus your mind on the current situation and don't let other mental concerns drag you out of a rewarding, enjoyable physical experience.



Lesson 6: While viewing the leopard, a game drive vehicle appeared with tourists. Instantly all we could see was a flurry of pictures being taken, tablets being held out of the large game drive vehicle and technology taking over the human eye and real life viewing. The difference between the calmness of the leopard and the busyness of the tourists taking pictures was so clear and interesting to see. Lesson here is get off your phone or camera in life and see things with your own eyes. Be calm like the subject or situation and absorb it in, then reach for the camera or cellphone.


Lesson 7: Set you intentions before entering a situation or project or experience. We had set our intentions of what we wanted to see before entering the game park and every one of our intentions were ticked. We sought to also find out if in fact the game park has big cats and predators, questioning it the whole time we were in the park and lo and behold, the leopard appeared just before we were about to start on our drive to the exit. This can be applied in life - set intentions and they come to light.


Lesson 8: Take a different path, an untouched path, an uncommon road. While other drivers stuck to the common roads, we ventured far and beyond to dirt roads not populated by the tourists or the Big Five stalkers. And in taking these unexplored, quiet, longer paths, we were blessed by the sightings of five rhinos. Yes - five rhinos - a rare sighting. So in life, take roads less travelled and you might find that the rewards are bigger and better.

Lesson 9: Bird watching is fun. I'm learning, thanks to my bird fanatic husband, to love birds and bird watching. Seriously, birds are amazing and seeking them is so much fun and ever so interesting. While other drivers never stopped to greet the melodic sounds of birds or greet their eyes by viewing their beauty - and often were seen bored thanks to the invisibility of larger animals on the roads - we were thrilled most of the time with a plethora of birds always waiting to be viewed and watched. Lesson here, when what you perceive or view in life becomes boring, or you can't see the bigger blessings, look for the smaller wonders and learn how to enjoy them in all their abundance.

Lesson 10: A day off, especially in nature, is a wonderful solution to a busy mind, a stressful outlook or a busy life. It's sometimes all you need to get out of your head, reboot and gain stillness and rejuvenation to move forward and continue conquering your life, your world. 

A million thoughts and a cuppa coffee

5 March 2018 marks the first official week of self-employment.

I resigned from my full-time job with my last day of corporate life ending last week Wednesday. Now that the rush of last-minute to-dos has stopped and the high rise of emotions has now settled, this morning sees me with a cuppa coffee and a million thoughts of how to conquer the world in this new phase of my life.

Only me, Stacey, and my brain, would see me sipping on a hot cuppa coffee at 6.30am contemplating my impact on life. All this on my first day of what I considered my 'Sabbatical Of Stacey Seeking' (SOSS).

Questions pondering:
1. What is my impact in life? What is my purpose?
2. Am I bored? How do I stop this feeling of being bored, if in fact I am actually bored?
3. How can I discourage my brain from thinking of resorting back to old ways, full-time jobs etc?
4. How do I find the enthusiasm to start getting things done on my long list of things to do?
5. How am I going to ease into this new phase of my life and bring all that I desired into action?

All this thinking within 10 minutes of getting up and drinking my coffee. I mean, seriously, who does this much thinking so early in the morning. Give yourself a break Stacey.

Remind yourself Stacey of the following:
1. You have lots to do - whether actual work, housework, self-work
2. It's now only 10.21am and you have already done so much. You have set up email signature, you have cleaned your office desk, emailed and contacted clients regarding different work issues, written a newsletter for a client etc
3. There is lots to keep you busy for the rest of the day - articles to be written, hogs to be cleaned, much business admin and marketing to be done, proposals to send out, this and that to be confirmed. And all this in your first day with loads more to be done in the next few days.. and within this new phase of your life
4. You have finally started blogging again - and found much joy and peace of mind in writing this simple blog post

You got this.

Your SOSS needs no SOS. This is a process. A process takes time. Give this journey time. Breathe.

Stacey, let this be your affirmation for the day: "I have done well, am doing well, I will do well. I am busy but I take it slow. I calmly ease into this new phase and allow the Universe to unveil what it is meant to unveil. I took a big step to find my passion, to find self-time, and I allow time to do just that. All is well within as it is without. All is well now as it will be then. I release old thinking and self-pressure. And it is so."

Control & demand: The mind speaks to the body

2016 came and went with so many life lessons learnt without the written blogs to go with them - time went so fast and learning was a frequently fast occurrence. However, all jotted down I shall go through the list of blog topics and write them all out. It's the 1 January 2017 and what a perfect day to reflect, blog and let go.

First up on the lessons learnt ladder of life is the blog of The mind speaks to the body. As the saying goes, the body speaks the mind, and what manifests in the mind will eventually rear its emotionally-induced head in the body through illness. While emotions, negative thoughts and a negative mind frame causes dis-ease within the body all by its powerful subconscious self, I've learnt that the mind can also speak to the body consciously to heal what has already come to bodily fruition. Sure, we all know that the mind is the most powerful tool and can affect the body, but when you feel it and experience this it really sinks in on a cellular level to the point of mind control and body demand.

Most folk aren't ignorant to the money-driven medical field that is and know full well that diseases are man-made, with medicines pumped into our systems all with the intention to create more illness, which means more money from individuals. Most people avoid antibiotics like the plague; I do as well. The word 'anti' should scare people off from the get go with 'antibiotics' described as going against the natural ecosystem. Who the hell wants to put something into their body that goes against it's natural form? However, when faced with a periodontal abscess like I did and basically having a ball bag of pus hanging off your cheek, sometimes happy thoughts render the pain ever-increasing with only medicine to resort to.

Oh how I love when the medicine I take creates more bodily symptoms, which will be soothed by more medicine purchased by people but not me. Who knew that while my face was getting better, my digestive system was wrecking havoc and my vagina almost took a trip to the itchy farm. While suffering from antibiotic-induced symptoms, I promised myself to not rectify these further symptoms and justify the money-hungry medical field by purchasing more poverty-creating antibiotics. I would allow my body to heal itself and to give it back its power lost by swallowing unnatural pills. I affirmed that my body would heal itself.

Time passed and my lower private regions resorted back to their normal selves, however, the ball bag on my cheek returned. While in the know, having researched the abscess, I became well educated on the causes, symptoms and just how many infectious bacteria lies in the body. A scary concept. But a realisation which prompted present and future enhanced bodily care. Dis-ease always goes away faster or is less panicked over when one knows what one has. Once bitten, once medicated, twice aware and trebled self-care. I advise everyone to truly take care of themselves in more ways than normally done so to prevent future dis-ease and suffering from the same disease or temporary illness.

With the return of the abscess, and haunted by the additional symptoms, I was not going to buy the same harmful antibiotics and inflict bowl and vagina problems onto myself again. I would not only allow my body to heal itself through it's own affirmed power, but this time I would also demand that it get better - I would demand the abscess to leave. Positive thoughts turned to mind control. Mind control to heal the body on demand.

This blog is not to state what is already known, that the mind and its thought can heal the body through usual positive thoughts, but the purpose of this blog is to tell everyone that the mind can also heal the body through mind control and subsequent body demand. This takes positive thinking to a whole new level. It's time to bloster your thinking. Get what I am saying?

Another lesson learnt: Money habits follow you from childhood

I had another vent. And thereafter, another brain fart.

Is your relationship with money as an adult created by the relationship you had with money as a child? And if so, if this relationship was bad both in adulthood and in childhood, how do you break up with the son of a bitch and turn it into a beneficial, blossoming one?

Money growing up was always on an allowance basis. As a teenager, my family had money, but as kids, we were given a monthly allowance and told to learn how to manage money. A great tool done by any parent, but looking back now, the only lesson I seem to have learnt with regards to money is that I had none. To this day, bordering on 30 – the age you think you’ll finally have your shit together – who would have guessed that I'm still struggling and still flat broke? Funny that considering I work my ass off at a million and one jobs and still find myself living hand to mouth.

I can’t help but wonder if this is my childhood repeating itself on me like bad breathe in the morning? I’m so sick of this struggle, just as much as wearing second-hand clothes or the same T-shirt year after year, just the same as my childhood when my allowance wouldn’t allow me to buy anything new as a child.

Have I grown up to subconsciously believe that I am not deserving of money? That it is completely normal to be broke and have to fight tooth and nail for one rand? Through my childhood, did I subconsciously create a block in my life stopping me from getting money? Quite perplexing 'ey?

Quite frankly am so done with struggling. I am done not having enough money to pay for bills, watching them so easily fall into arrears. I am done not being able to buy clothes or make up and walking around like I walked out of a charity clothes shop. I am so done with counting coins and getting stuck on the side of the road with no petrol in my car. I am so sick and tired of not enjoying the leisure pleasures of life. Not being on a honeymoon, not being able to do my nails or hair, not being able to go out and spend a little on destressing activities. When it comes to money, I am so sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Today on 23 May I break up with the bad relationship I have with money. I break the cords of my childhood and monetary habits and now believe that I am worth all the abundance in the world. I deserve money and all that goes with it. I will no longer just survive, but thrive. I let go of all the bad associations and preconceived notions I have created in my childhood about money and so lived with as an adult for the past few years.

Tomorrow is a new money-filled day, let the money flow in baby. Lesson learnt. Awareness noted.

The struggle is real. So many people I know are feeling the money crunch. Life is hard. But I no longer choose to be a victim but to come out victorious. I will win the battle of the wallet.

When you realise how lessons follow you from childhood and that everything links together, it's quiet mind-blowing. I am appreciative of realising just how my habits of today, are the repercussions of those created 'yesterday'.

Why wait Sam, do it now

We all live different lives, with some of us living so uniquely and so out the box that writing about it just has to be mandatory.
However, when these unique lives are so enjoyable different, those living it are all about the living than having time to write about it and jot down life experiences.

However, to me, I find it so important to relay these stories.. to tell the tales for those truly living how humans should live. Those living a life on the complete opposite spectrum to what is considered 'normal'.

Case in point, my dearest friend Sam.

She lives a life controversial to some, but admired by so many others. After speaking with her now (and yes she has a cellphone and reception even in the outdoors she calls home) I informed her not to waste time to tell her tale. Not to put a start date or create a heavy load with all her experiences from which to start writing, but to address this telling of her tale in small bites, here and now. If not now, than when?

I offered to write something on her (for her)... to give her a small taste of what it would be like for her if she'd take two minutes from her extra-ordindary daily life to inspire everyone else by reading about her journey.

So here's your first words of encouragement Sam... I've spent a few minutes writing about you. I took one photo and made it online for the world to see. Think of the moment, think in the now. Post in the now. Talk in the now. You have something amazing... so tell others about it. If you won't, I will.

In short, and not taking anything from just how amazing this truly this, Sam lives in a very small town in Greyton, where the community is small; electricity is non-existent; trading and bartering for daily goods and living necessities is the name of the game; everyone becomes their own farmer; living is simple; organic food is consumed constantly; nature is golden and living without money is hard, but certainly possible.

When your parents told you that the normal 9-5 job and bill-orientated life of adulthood is the only thing destined for you, Sam is proving this wrong. When those who said money is everything and if you're not surrounded by all that glitters, then you're not living, Sam is proving them wrong. For all those deeply embedded in human nature and old societal programming who believe that unhappiness is found in the jobless, the hippie life or a life in small towns and nature-filled areas, Sam is showing that happiness does truly exist, even more so, in a life that is anything but conventional.

As in that movie Wanderlust, I feel it's so important for everyone to experience some time, or some part of their lives, in those small communities where they grow their own vegetables, dine in candle light and aren't ordered by alarm clocks. What an experience to be hold... well... it's definitely on my bucket list.

As seen in Sam's picture, a world where technology and nature can exist to create something much better than that which we are set to believe in from childhood. She's also got nature on her side and organic fruit to munch on. Bliss.

I can just imagine the life lessons she is learning. I can just imagine how her mind is focused on the now. How human stresses are not regularly interrupting her beautiful experiences of what life should truly be about. I don't know the finer details or how exactly it is in Sam's world, but in two minutes of speaking with her, it's encouraged me to encourage you all to take a look at your life and to, some time in future, be enthusiastic enough to try live a life you never expected or one you thought was not possible. It is possible. It's not all butterflies and candyfloss I'm sure, but there is so much to life and surely it provides a better solution to the mundane life of working your lives away to pay bills.. following along like sheep to the grave.

*Samantha Cartwright is a reiki practitioner, among other spiritual gifts she offers. Her life is a story of lessons learnt and messages of spiritual awareness. For more information on who she is and what she does, or to contact her for healing, visit http://www.serendipity-sun.com/?page_id=144

Keep inspiring Sam (and possibly... I'll keep writing for you)
And to everyone reading this... remember it's possible. Live outside the box. Be inspired. Happiness is out there in its own rare forms other than where most of society thinks it is. Many paths... choose the rocky one.

*Comment below on the unique life you live and share your tale. Or comment below if you would like me to write more stories on Sam and hear more about her life and the spiritual lessons which go with it.

Cleaning tips from the non-professional

Hello readers,

How great it is to be getting back into my blogging. The same can be said for my cleaning. Let's just hope both lasts longer than the blink of an eye or a moment of passing gas.

Yes, it's the first of January and one would expect the common spring clean to take place, but for me (one who would rather stick hot coals in her eye balls than clean), this cleaning mania is not from year-end hussle but from a proactive choice.

After going away for a few days, with the dogs now learning the "scary" life of the outdoor wilderness (aka the back garden) during the day and night (a big step for us all), the dogs are now outside which means the house can be cleaner for longer. I also came back from holiday knowing the geysers and plumbing of the house were going to be fixed, which meant that if I cleaned, I could finally live in an at-least functional house. I wanted to clean, to change the energy of the house, the layout and get everything sorted. To focus on the now and make our living space the best it could be. (PS - we moved in two years ago and were not aware of the full extent of the damages/condition of the house.)

So even from the onset of arriving after a 6-hour journey from Durban, we started cleaning right away. It is now a few days later and we're still going at it. And on my journey to breaking my back and turning the skin of my hands into leather shoes from all the detergents used, I have gained a few tips to help you in your cleaning journey where you start at one end and never seem to leave that end... at all.... ever. More tips to follow as we get deeper into the journey of elbow grease and shiny surfaces.
So on your break between picking up dog shit and washing the Pronutro-encrusted bowl left by the kiddies, have a read and a laugh.

Tip 1: Don't start cleaning. Just don't. Simple. The more you clean the more you realise just how much more there is to go. Sometimes cleaning is surface level, other times it's like a car engine. You think there is one problem but upon further inspection, you find 10 more. So if you're not willing to open that can of worms, don't even start. Be prepared to clean and then realise there is more than meets the germ-seeking eye. Be prepared to dance, like the cha-cha... one step forward and two steps back.
Tip 2: Do not have black curtains in your bedroom or pretty much any room. This is not a strict rule but but black curtains keep in the energy, the staleness and stop energy flow. Keep it light and fresh.

Tip 3: Take breaks, smoke a shit load. Be inspired in these breaks. Don't just clean to clean, but clean to be creative. Try different objects in different places, different room layouts, different decor options, different uses for different things. Clean and be creative all in one big ball of "holy fuck, cleaning is actually quite fun".

Tip 4: Don't be hard on yourself. You'll be happy to know there are others who live further in the pig shit than you.
Tip 5: Do room by room or area by area. Start and finish something so you can see the change/transformation. You need gratification when cleaning and to feel like you have accomplished something. This little bit here and little bit there is like wearing a pair of pants with a hole in both the groin area and the buttock area. It doesn't work and leaves you feel incomplete.
Tip 6: Cleaning and maintaining a clean space and having dogs goes well together in the same way that ice loves the desert. If you're like me and the pups are your babies, remember that you can love them but you can also have routine. Reduce the stress of waking up to wee's and poo's on the floor or constant cleaning with the dogs sleeping inside. Set a routine and boundaries, have the pups outside, as hard as it may be. It's healthier for everyone.
Tip 7: Be a beggar sometimes. When cleaning and trying to make your house better, don't feel bad for asking others if they have any leftover paint, frames, wood, whatever. If they do, then great. If they don't, that's also fine. You'll be surprised how much money you save by just asking. And asking doesn't make you cheap, it makes you proactive.
Tip 8: The bath can be very handy with large sums of dishes when you're facing a tiny sink. After a big meal or catering (weird as it may sound), chuck all the dishes in one hot bath. They soak, rinse and wash so fast and it saves you constant counter space making and rerunning of water.
Tip 9: Washing floors on your knees (the typical South African way) far beats using a mop. Just saying. Moving around with dirt, hot water from the kettle (great for removing floors stains) and germs on your knees is fun. Who needs a spa mud treatment when this is free?
Tip 10: Don't fear empty spaces. If your house is a weird and enlarged space like mine and you're left with large spaces of nothing, don't worry. Face the emptiness and move on. There is a place for everything and everything in its place and there's no need to fill space with crap and fluffy teddy bears and broken hand-me-downs just because. Sometimes simple and decluttered is better. Try out different objects/furniture in different rooms and see what fits and sadly if the rest of the house is now cozy but there's a large empty space, it's okay. Rather get most spaces proportionally filled than scatter everything around.
Tip 11: Keep going. Rome was not built in a day and with dogs in and out, full-time work and having no domestic worker, it will take you a while. But little bit by little bit and if you start to become consumed, that's great. It's a process. No ... Aladdin and the genie is a movie and we cannot blink and wish for a clean house. So start and take it in your stride. If I can clean and last this long in a house that could have put me in a mental hospital by now, anyone can do it.

Back to cleaning I go....

Let me know your cleaning tips and stories by commenting below.

Maturity in change of thoughts (Be money wise, not festive stupid)

As I look back on the year that was, so many thoughts, so many changes, so much additional growing up. And this is not the ego thinking you're mature and wiser than all, or thinking that you've changed and got your old girl panties on when you're still sporting nappies, it's just the simple realisation of how one's change of thought really reveals growth and maturity.

How you can think one thing, sweat blood and tears to defend it, and then further down the "awareness" line you start thinking, saying, believing the complete opposite. Oh shit, you have unintentionally swapped debating sides - but hey, it feels good.

Sometimes, when you think something, step back and review this thought you actually are taken aback with how your new thought is a complete 360 of the old thought. A reversal of mature proportions. This happens in the learning school of life. And its something to look observe, pat yourself on the back and move forward feeling good.

Case in point... growing up in my early twenties, money flew out the door and debt was raised with every passing Christmas - I was not overly stupid but I was not wise.

But as I started maturing and paying off debt - with my mindset firmly fixed on "live like a pauper so you can finally breathe with no debt strangling you to death" things were different this year (2015). Yes, the festive season is not over but already I can pat myself on the back and be proud of my new thoughts and actions this holiday season - where santa is a robber in disguise.

If you've already have been paid and are looking at January like it's a desert, don't be too hard on yourself, just take my advice and next year act the exact opposite - be money wise, not festive stupid. If you've hitched a ride on the "Save money, enjoy Christmas on the cheapo side" then well done, join the club, and pour yourself a glass of water! Well not to that extreme if you know what I mean, I'm not saying instead of a turkey you have to eat maggi noodles and enjoy the holidays like those on the TV show Extreme Cheapskates. But you have been rational and future minded so well done. It's tough to be cautious and to hold back, but in January, you'll see... we'll be laughing.

This year I vowed to not go on credit for any gifts. I vowed to make my money last so that I would not have to humble (and embarrass) myself to ask to borrow money from family members. I vowed to focus on experience rather than purchases. I vowed to go through the festive money wise and not have to go through January stressing my labia off when not even a crust of bread was affordable. This year would be different and it was (so far) and for that I am so grateful and proud. I managed to pay bills, get to durban for a quick get away, come home with money and still have money for January.

Some tips I have learnt regarding money and the festive season:

1. Pay all your bills first (everyone says this, but do it.)
2. Be prepared to put SOME money aside for you, even if it means paying one or two bills slightly lower. You NEED THIS! When you have money (even though it's a little) you're not in the mind frame of no money. Think money, receive money. Think no money and all you get is desperation. The law of attraction. It also relates to doing extra jobs to get through the holidays. Think small and you'll end up working your butt off for nix to nothing. Think big and do big jobs that are worth your time and effort.
3. Spend what you can on presents and don't feel bad if they are not worth a million rand or less than what another person buys you. You come first and there is no need to go into debt when you buy something for thought, not for showing off.
4. Allow others to buy, make dinner or offer things. I always, always, used to buy others things and offer food this year. This year I removed my stubborness and took in the graciousness in which things were given. And no, this doesn't mean ask or sponge off others.
5. Sleep more. We have such hectic years. Use the holiday to sleep, rest. You can't be spending money when you're sleeping. So catch up on those hours lost instead of constantly keeping yourself busy and emptying your wallet.
6. If you have many jobs or are waiting for people to pay you.... as hard as it may be, ask some of them to pay you end of Dec or beginning of Jan. This means you won't spend it and will make do with what you have, knowing calmly that you still have money coming in.

So this Christmas wasn't a penny crusher for me. I've enjoyed myself, I've purchased gifts with heart and I'm not terrified of January. Cheers to me and being money wise, a mind frame I shall use throughout my life moving forward. Yes, I could have had 2 minutes of pleasure eating an overpriced icecream, but the feeling of making it through by myself is worth that much more! May we all find ways to get through January. 2016 will not be a year of debt, but building savings.
First Christmas survived and succeeded as the new rational me
- Santa, go F yourself.