Chasing the Sun 2 is incredibly inspiring, especially for South Africans and even more so for rugby fans. But you don’t even have to like rugby to be moved by the fairy tale story of the Springboks that kicked off at the 1995 Rugby World Cup. It’s a complete wonder we have not hosted the tournament again since then, but imagine when we do!
Anyway the point of today’s blog is not rugby, its inspiration and where we find it.
Many of us are finding it quite tough in the circumstances we find ourselves in and need inspiration to keep at it, day after day, knowing that our windfalls will come. Eventually. Hopefully. Regardless, we have little choice but to get creative with these circumstances and find a way forward. Just like the Boks did time and time again as has been shown so intimately by T&W, the producers of Chasing the Sun.
But let’s face it, we are not going to keep winning World Cups forever and we need diverse sources of inspiration to navigate the world today.
So now look at yourself, a human being in a world that is a mix of natural and manmade landscapes. We often point to great human achievements to find our inspiration, but as time has gone on, we have become more aware of the costs the earth and its inhabitants pay for some of these endeavours.
So then look to nature for your inspiration, how the grass grows with every storm, but dies down quickly after a week of baking sun. Ready and waiting for that next storm.
The little Cape White-eye brought in by the cat that we all thought was a gonner, but the kids and I latched onto an inkling of life. With a box, a towel and a hot water bottle, it was chirping within half an hour. Refusing a cat food mixture and fresh earthworms (taken from Charlie’s fishing supply) we thought hard about where the cat may have found the poor fledging. Still in the box and chirping away, we walked into an area of the garden with the thickest bush, and suddenly responding to the chirps, two adult Cape White-eyes appeared. Carefully placing the little one in the tissue on a branch, we backed off to watch the adults fly in and retrieve their lost chick. We surmised the chick had left the nest recently when Lulu the cat tried to make the kill! From being a champion rat killer in Howick, she has become very calm here in the Lowveld (but not entirely… more on that next time).
What were the chances of that little chick’s survival and being reunited when the cat made off with it? Miniscule, but it happened.
Nature is full of amazing examples, and considering that we are part of nature (we didn’t come from it, we are still a part of it) it’s an intrinsic place to look to when your chips are down!
Can’t wait for the final episode of Chasing the Sun 2 on Sunday. It’s all available on DSTV Catch-up – try and get your hands on it if you have not watched it yet and prepare to be inspired!