Determination

Believe 
in yourself, 
your journey
your strength, 
your goal. 
Believe. 
Never surrender.
-MTHerzog, Berlin 2020

This video appeared on LinkedIn this morning and it hit me like a train out of control. It is just what I needed to see and hear, the much needed pep talk that picks me up and helps me dust off the grime, wipe the blood, ignore the tears, and stick a middle finger out to all the stumbling blocks.

We live in confusing and turbulent times, with a lot of violent, abusive and unkind people determined to get their own way. It is not a time to be naive and ignore what is happening in and around us, but rather a wake-up call to choose carefully, take informed decisions, and most importantly, be conscious of the fundamental values that matter most to you, and not what others say you should think or feel.

About a week ago, Maike and I did another one of our mother-daughter photoshoots in the bootleg studio, a continuation of the Negative Spaces series and had a delightful time. While processing the images, my gaze stopped at this image in particular:

We are called to be the salt of the earth, but as the sermon during mass pointed out yesterday – first determine what kind of salt do you want to be, and when do you want to be added to the moment? That made me stop and think. There is coarse salt, herbal salt, stinky black salt (kala namak in India), and the list is endless. In the beginning, when you touch the course salt, it is harsh, abrasive, and unpleasant to the senses, but when you add it to the dish you are cooking, it blends in and enhances the flavour. If you add the salt towards the end, there is no time to blend in, and the texture of the salt remains coarse and abrasive.

This is exactly what change is. Coarse salt. In the beginning we hesitate and almost resist, but that is precise what leads to frustration, sadness, despair. Change is never easy, but if the determination to make a difference in your own life is there, then nothing else matters, and the heat will be a welcome pivot.

Believe.