Monday, October 22, 2012

Storm of enlightenment

Hello High Heelers,
I had major hail damage this weekend. And I don’t mean the kind that appears on one’s assets when too many salty products and chocolates have been consumed over a long period of time. Nope. I have dents in my car and a smashed windscreen from the clouds opening up and letting go of massive, destructive hail stones. It was like being in one of those ‘End of the World’ type movies with all the mystery, chaos and drama. I realised why weather effects are referred to as the acts of Mother Nature, because hell hath no fury like the storm that scorned Joburg this weekend.
They also say that no good deed goes unpunished. This was another cliché proven correct. Yep. I spent the whole of this Saturday away from the shoe shops and lazy lunches with my girlfriends to help my little cousin edit his Master’s thesis (when I say ‘little’ I mean 27, but he’s still 12 to me, ok!) On having a good look at the youngling at midday, I concluded that he needed to get out of the house, move away from the computer and be well sustenanced (as in force-fed by his over-protective, big cousin). So I hauled him away from his work and towards yummy food – he did not kick or scream though, so I was definitely onto something good… in intention.
We were almost at our destination when the storm hit – and I mean it literally ‘hit’. I went “Holy moly, check out those dark clouds that have come out of nowhere!” And he immediately said “find cover now” (surprisingly calmly). Thinking he was being a bit hyperbolic I began laughing (though rather nervously). But when the first golf ball sized hailstone hit I stopped giggling very quickly. Cars were driving all over the place and my cousin pulled the steering wheel from me to avoid this big Landrover from totalling my little Mini. Chaos ensued. Total and utter chaos. People were running, hail was falling, cars were crashing, the wind blew harder, trees fell over. We found cover under a store’s gazebo (thank heavens for small cars fitting anywhere). The rain kept thrashing and the hail kept smashing. It was like nothing I’ve experienced first-hand before.

When the storm subsided my cousin looked at my car in total shock. I remained polite and told him that it’s just a little damage (I am very seldom under dramatic, but there you go – I have it in me). In all honesty, my car is badly battered. But at the same time, I know that it’s ok. Since I’m responsible I took out the top policy and pay up my insurance religiously – so it will be fixed in no time for a tiny cost compared to the damage. On phoning my insurance company today, they sorted out all my repair plans in lightning speed (bad choice of adverb perhaps). Within a few weeks my beloved Mini will be as good as new.
But more importantly than the fact that I’m a responsible, insured woman, my cousin and myself escaped unscathed. People were hurt in that storm but all we suffered was a little bit of fear and some quick reflex skills. We’re completely fine and the car is (sorry my beloved Princess Georgina) just a car. I’m horrified that others were willing to put peoples’ lives in danger by driving like hooligans to get their precious vehicles out of the hail. I recognise that cars are expensive to fix, but they can at least still be fixed. Far too often people place a greater importance on material objects than on people. They’re not anything close to as valuable. People were created to be loved, things were created to be used. The reason why the world is in chaos is because things are being loved, and people are being used."

This week as we get wrapped up in our own versions of chaos, let’s remember to respect and love people above any object, deadline or life occurrence. People are gifts in times of joy and in times of trouble they teach us deep lessons. Let’s treat people right. Let’s step up. Let’s stand up. Let’s raise the bar up. Have a wonderful week.
Yours in heels,
Jo
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