A love affair has an uncontrollable ebb and flow, with highs and lows which seem to test our commitment and passion. Life gets busy and we neglect the full potential of our love. Sometimes it last few a month and other times, it?s years before we realize how little love we are pouring into the places which deserve it most. My affair is with writing. It?s a love that gave birth to a blog, which I cherished with all my heart and put much effort into growing it and nurturing it so we went to great places together.
But then life got in the way. I had to adult and focus on turning my passion into a career and I spent less time blogging and more time telling my blog that our time would come to reconnect again. I got a quote to revamp it over a year ago and changed it up a few times, as if burst of love would keep it alive and going. It didn?t and slowly my love for my blog became stagnant.
Just like a relationship, I can tell you all the reasons why. The most obvious, I got bored. Telling my daily Project Me story, for over 5 years, was thrilling in the beginning. It got slightly tiresome after nearly three years and slowly I got too busy with other writing and work to have much time for my blog at all. I thought about it often and felt guilty about the neglect, but some part of me couldn?t just let it go. I knew I loved it, but I also knew I was so bored of hearing myself tell my story of trying to fix and better myself all the time. I just wanted to be and writing about being is almost impossible. That?s stretching into the realms of the positivity movement, which I think is doing more damage than good. So I distracted myself for the longest time, finding other places to write and get my thrills. All the while, returning to my blog and attempting to find inspiration to rekindle the love affair.
Then last Thursday I was invited to the launch of the Tsogo Sun #TsogoRoulette challenge, taking place at all hotels with casinos. I?m not a gambler, and at the bottom of this post you will see the disclaimer for responsible gambling. I wasn?t saying no the event though (and had a whole lot of fun at the roulette tables), because there?s something so nurturing about Tsogo Sun hospitality and turning down the opportunity to sleep in their heavenly beds in not an option. Added to the agenda was the transportation between the three main casinos in Johannesburg, Gold Reef City, Silverstar and Montecasino. We would be doing that by helicopter. HELICOPTER ? I?ve never done one of those.
Look mom, I'm in a helicopter!
I felt a spark of excitement and nerves all mixed into one. I?m very nervous of heights, get so claustrophobic that I have a huge fear of elevators and get nauseous standing on a stationary cruise ship without a gust of wind. This was going to be scary. I couldn?t stop telling all my friends. Mainly because I wanted to know who had been in a helicopter and the expectation of how I was going to feel. Everyone calmed my nerves and giggled when I told them I was going armed with glazed ginger (if you don?t know, it?s the best cure for nausea). Nope, it wasn?t because I was worried about being air sick. I was really concerned my nerves would make me feel ill.
Butterflies by the thousands, the thrill started with the blades whooshing above our heads, me ducking low and running towards my first experience on a helicopter. WOW!! I can?t begin to explain the excitement and how proud I was that my fears disappeared quick enough for me to take in the magic of flying over Johannesburg and appreciating the spoils from Tsogo Sun and the joy of my first new experience.
Hopping on and off the Heli, between the three hotels and having an absolute ball with the invited celebs and influencers, I felt my love for my blog rekindle. I got myself to that point with hard work and passion. Mostly, I wrote myself there. My endorsement of every Tsogo Sun hotel I have stayed at has been one of truly genuine amazement at the hospitality and escape from my world into a hotel room which has inspired me to write. I was so fortunate to be treated to a weekend at The Cullinan Hotel in Cape Town, to write my thousandth Project Me blog post. Treated like a queen wherever I have stayed with Tsogo Sun and one of my fave part is always crawling into the bed fit for a princess. I?ve woken up on Valentine?s day, single but happy, cuddling a pillow at the Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani. Hidden under the blankets, wiping away tears, I?ve overcome a girlie broken heart in the comfort of the Drakensberg Sun. I?ve blogged about it all and I forgot how much adventure I do have in my life. It?s my fault for always focusing on the fixing up of myself that I force myself to do, but now I want to focus on the adventure.
My love affair with the Tsogo Sun beds is real!
Thanks to an incredible experience of my first time in a helicopter and telling my friends, ?it?s my first time?, I?m so excited to have rekindled my love for blogging. I want to do more ?first things? ? loads and loads of first things. Some may be scary, some fun, some I might have to save up for ages and others I may not even plan for, but #MyFirstThings feels like the spark which reignited my love!
If you know my story, you will know I?m very much a morning person and watch the sunrise nearly every morning. I?ve seen the sun rise in very special places, which I am also going to start sharing while I?m #ChasingSunrise. Who knows where this new found love will take me ?
You're never too old to try new things!!
#MyFirstThings ... You're never too old to do something for the first time!
Always gratitude to Sheena Kretzmer for inviting me along for Tsogo Sun adventures, as a blogger and influencer
#MyFirstThings ... seeing my beautiful Jozi from the sky, in a helicopter!
Oh you know, waiting to hop back into the heli, with Maps Maponyane
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What a heartfelt and honest blog post. I'm so privileged to be part of your writing journey as your friend and also as your Tsogo Sun representative xxx