PEOPLE

 

Years ago, I received this SMS: "People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime."

After much contemplation over the following weeks, I wrote this piece.  


PEOPLE

They are all so wonderfully awesome
miracles on two
some in hindsight – yeah!
reason people
season people
lifetime people
divine beings of note
all appear on your request
But still, you question the power of thought
thought creates matter
did you not know that?
 
You look up and eyes meet
a smile with purity and momentarily gentleness
skyrocket across the emptiness
as if being summoned by the Great One
body talk is warm and fuzzy
then the moment is gone
forever
memories understood or not
is eternal
you wonder
the reason
for this titbit experience
be grateful for this miracle!
 
You requested help to resolve the loneliness
a challenge that seems beyond perception
stepping in the right direction at the Y
the lights are changing so fast
it seems like mono colour
it is time for a new season
stop
smell the miracle on two
cheerful and breezee
single-minded and self-aware
kitted with the solvent for mono lights
stroking the outline skeleton
in soft gentle
pastels of beingness
time stands at rest, it seems
weeks and months are like minute moments
filled with grace and joy
the Y is no more
perception now is a clear moment of brilliant excellence
mirror of new life
Solutions
perhaps even severe hurt
then
the miracle becomes smoke and drifts away
be grateful for the miracle!
 
The “I” is perfect in its uniqueness
though this seems empty
unfulfilled
like rusted forgotten junk
a sculptured pink lemon
ego forever searching for peace in space of mind
but forever finding no shoulder
to nestle against
leaving the heart like black parker ink without the black
to picture all of this in your mind
will drive you up the wall
smell the miracle on two
a lifetime in the making
but on your request
the lemon is yellow
the ink is rich black
Moments of excellence
and childish surprise
suddenly becomes a lifetime of exuberance
one gentle touch of endless
excruciating
intense
timeless bliss
be grateful for the lifetime miracle!
 
Do you understand the miracles now?
bless them
embrace each one in every moment
never stop
share your miracle with all …
with yourself!
 
Copyright – Matthys Ferreira – all rights reserved.

Do you know?

Do you sometimes forget something you know you are supposed to know?

Socrates said, "Nobody knows everything, and sometimes we all forget that which we already knew".

It is the suddenness of it all - death...

Four weeks ago, we attended the memorial service of one elder in the family who passed. Sitting in church reminded me of how much I enjoy the sacred quietness that is so characteristic of traditionally designed churches, cathedrals, and synagogues. And then – if the latter is host to a traditional pipe organ – I love it even more.

A couple of rows in front of me, a late-thirties / early forty-year-old male was scrolling his social media pages on his mobile. Truly disrespectful, I thought…

In fact, it also reminded me of what I dislike about these spaces - people and their general disrespect – the whispering before, after, and during the service. Really… get with the programme!

Although it is natural to pass on, the suddenness of some of these occurrences is truly traumatic. The processes involved in acquiring all the required documentation, postmortems and so forth, can be extremely traumatic, especially when the people involved in these processes absolutely disregard even the simplest of dignity and courtesy towards the deceased and the family.

But then, I took many detailed pictures at post-mortems during my time with SAPS. Postmortems are not for the faint of heart. A body, on that stainless steel table, represents, for most officials present – and brace yourself for what I am about to say – nothing more than muscle and bone - a piece of meat. Your fame, money and whatever status you claimed during your life, means zero, niks….

I must hasten to say that I have attended a couple of postmortems where the body was treated with utmost respect and care by the pathologist. This is not the norm, though.

I have always maintained that, if there is one thing that will blow your ego cover to infinite scraps and humble you for the rest of your life, it is attending a postmortem.

Be that as it may, these experiences refocus one’s priorities and spotlight those things in your life that present and require authentic value and care. Family is one.

Life is a handful for most at this time – the government is a mess and we as citizens need to take hands -ground ourselves within the traditional value of good humanitarian principles which – just by the way – has zero/zilch to do with the colour of your skin or the balance in your bank account. It is about caring for others as you would care for yourself. Just remember – self-care, not selfishness, is a priority if you want to care for others.

To not care for and about yourself is selfish and brutal because it will bite you in the long run.

What are your thoughts about this?

 

Limited edition vehicles to stand out from the crowd

Original engine manufacturers (OEMs) are capitalising on punting limited edition products in their various ranges.

Ford started it and Mahindra, one of the fastest-growing brands in the country, now offers the Mahindra Scorpio Adventure, the Karoo, and now also the Dusk.

The uptake on the Dusk was such that Mahindra may have to extend the availability of its offer.

It recently introduced a small group of Lowveld media representatives to the Dusk and the Adventure.

Klipspringer Lodge hosted the event and allowed participants to drive both vehicles through a short but challenging obstacle course, a gymkhana on a skid pan and then a short drive over some rugged terrain.

The consensus was that these vehicles - each presenting a somewhat unique character, are more capable than what many would admit. But then - Mahindra wants to offer buyers the opportunity to venture out into the bush and off the beaten track without it costing them an arm and a leg.

Photo: QuickPic
 

The Scorpio Adventure

The Scorpio is - unashamedly, one of my favourite SUVs, so I spend all my time driving it. And no, it did not disappoint.

This limited edition boasts off-road bumpers and all-terrain rims and tyres, rounded off with Adventure insignia on the flanks and rear luggage door.

The front bumper features a laser-cut Mahindra insignia with integrated fog lamps.

Its rugged construction and anchor points on the chassis mean that serious off-road and overlanding enthusiasts can also fit other recovery gear, like an electric winch or high-lift jack.

At the rear, a matching departure bumper is fitted flush between the side-moulded bumper sections. This bumper is equipped with a tow bar as standard and is pre-fitted with recovery hooks and high-lift jacking points as well.

Rounding off the special package is a set of all-terrain tyres fitted to harden off-road alloy wheels. They upgraded the tyres from the 235/65R17 road-biased rubber of the standard model to 245/65R17 all-terrain tyres on the Adventure.

They fit the tyres to silk-black, 17-inch alloy wheels that are hardened and machine-edged.

The Scorpio S11 Adventure builds on the recently upgraded S11 specification level.

Mahindra last year changed the name from S10 to S11 to note the increased engine power, slick-shifting new six-speed transmission and the upgraded interior luxuries.

Under the hood of the S11 is the more powerful version of Mahindra’s popular 2.2-litre mHawk turbodiesel. This engine delivers 103kW and 320Nm. The driver can shift-on-the-fly between 4H and 2H at speeds of up to 100km/h.

Inside the cabin, the S11 Adventure has all the luxury trimmings of its sibling. This includes electronic climate control, power steering, cruise control, a voice-command system and electric windows all around.

The S11 model also sports a new 7-inch infotainment system that offers greater touch sensitivity and faster operation than its predecessor.

The infotainment system incorporates Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, and it features a USB and Bluetooth phone interface.

The new screen also displays the high-resolution images of the in-built reverse camera.

All Mahindra Scorpio S11 Adventure models offer 195mm of suspension travel and 165mm of ground clearance.

The new model is available at dealers across Southern Africa at a starting price of R416 999.

Photo: QuickPic

The Karoo Dusk

The new Mahindra Karoo Dusk S11 Automatic is a striking matt black lifestyle-focused double-cab model based on the S11 Karoo and is fitted with the best on offer in the Mahindra parts catalogue and a few very special additions that are not available to other Mahindra Pik Up owners.

They wrapped the Karoo Dusk in a hard-wearing matt black film that makes it unique from any production Pik-Up on the road. It is fitted with a colour-coded styling bar on the rear load bay, the side-mounted steel steps, robust over fenders and roller shutter door.

Mahindra has further tasked its designers to create a special dark-blue hue for the Dusk decals and distinctive Acacia tree in the Karoo logo, which matches perfectly with the black wrap and is unique to this limited-edition model.

Adding to the standout design is a special set of 17-inch machined off-road alloys in black with silver detailing in the outer rim. They fit the alloys with special mud-terrain tyres from General Tire that add an aggressive tread profile and add visual appeal to this unique bakkie.

Mahindra also fitted off-road bumpers. The rear bumper has mounting points for a high-lift jack, extra heavy-duty recovery loops and a tow bar with flush-mounted electric connection as standard.

The front bumper also has special LED-spot lamps fitted and features recovery loops and jack mounting points.

The suspension features special heavy-duty, gas-filled, off-road shock absorbers, heavy-duty custom-designed leaf springs and new suspension bushes.

While these upgrades do not change the Karoo Dusk’s ground clearance, they ensure faultless performance on dirt, rock, sand and mud, while not adversely affecting its road manners.

The Karoo Dusk comes with luxury features that include a touch-screen infotainment system with an in-built reverse camera, Bluetooth phone connectivity, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard. Cruise control, climate control, a multi-function steering wheel and electric windows are standard.

As a version of the Karoo flagship, the Dusk comes fitted with a lockable roller-shutter door on the rubberised rear load bay.

The Mahindra Karoo Dusk S11 Automatic is available in extremely limited numbers at R549 999.

Well - there you have it. Mahindra is once again rising to the demands of its customers - go drive it. It will impress you!

 

Mandalas: circles for self-discovery

When was the last time you did something for the first time - for yourself?

Perhaps the pandemic inspired you to make some lifestyle changes involving exercise, start a hobby or practise an art form?

Practising any form of art, visual or otherwise, creates and improves what scientists refer to as functional connectivity. This is defined as the temporal coincidence of spatially distant neurophysiologic events (Friston, 1994). Functional connectivity refers to the functionally integrated relationship between spatially separated brain regions.

An art teacher and art therapist, Deanne Kim of Kaapsehoop asserts that "art and art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its primary mode of communication. "It is a form of psychotherapy which has been well established in other countries, especially the United Kingdom since the 1940s. It is still relatively new in South Africa."

Clinical studies have shown that drawing mandalas boosts the immune system, reduces pain, lowers blood pressure, reduces anxiety and promotes sleep. Collectively the aforementioned benefits improve physical and mental health and sharpness.

Although psychologists Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud disagreed on some elements regarding human consciousness and their unconscious, it is generally accepted that drawing within a circle creates focus. It is said that Jung recorded all his dreams and then sketched them inside a circle, "It was calming and reflected the unconscious self," he observed.



Liezel Lüneburg.


Working within a circle, one presumes, protects the artist against scattering and uncontrollable thought patterns which is so characteristic of conscious, subconscious/unconscious anxiety and exuberance.

The well-known local mandala artist Liezel Lüneburg has been drawing and painting all her life, but it was only in 2016 that she drew her first mandala. "I have a lifelong fascination for circles and curves. A mandala is a work of patience, of many hours and sometimes frustration, and the constant urge to give up hope of getting it just right. For me, finishing a mandala is a personal accomplishment.

"Over the past decades, I have been suffering from dysthymia. One of the coping mechanisms is to compel me to focus on beauty by constantly searching for and recognising beautiful things, including ideas and abstract concepts. It is interesting to note that beauty is rarely recognised or portrayed in conceptual art and that many contemporary artworks create feelings of unease, angst and even disgust. Notwithstanding this fact, many of my own artworks seek to portray difficult and ugly situations, for instance, death or Covid, through a different lens by identifying snippets of beauty in a seemingly never-ending dark space. Thus, I identify a specific theme for artwork and form an idea in my mind of the general direction the project should follow.





A flock of birds.


"I start drawing intuitively and never know beforehand what the end product is going to look like. It is always a huge surprise. The creation of a mandala is a spiritual journey, a search for meaning and purpose. It is a window to the soul and exposes subtle footprints of the artist’s emotional struggles, searches for meaning and spiritual well-being. I am a devoted Christian who also writes for Ekerk and I do indeed experience the making of art as a process where I move closer to God and His wondrous creation. A mandala is an object of balance and harmony and creating one brings inner peace and perspective on difficult issues. Now what could be closer to prayer than the process of creating art and, specifically, a mandala?"

Jung defines a mandala as "representing the dreamer's search for completeness and self-unity". It is a Tibetan word and means “that which encircles a centre”. "The centre in this context symbolises meaning and that which encircles it is a representation of the meaning," said Luneburg. "I have also started to draw more informal artworks that express the symbolic, abstract meaning of a mandala rather than the physical decorative symmetry. I enjoy this immensely!"





The buzzz in my head.

I suffer from dysthymia, which clings to my whole being like a buzzing bee, never allowing me to forget the fact that I am depressed by nature.

A well-known national geographic photographer once said, "If you are anxious and don't know where to start, find something beautiful within your surrounds or within yourself, and then add to that."

Find beauty and express it visually within a circle. After all, Leonardo da Vinci illustrated the human form, one of God’s most intriguing creations, within the circle.

Photos: Liana en Johan of Jolian's Photography

PS. The article was first published in the Lowvelder newspaper.

A Volvo Amazon 122S brought back to life

Louie Amorim describes himself as being quiet, and passionate about cars, classics in particular since he was 22.

He also loves, collects, and sells antiques. He was an independent financial broker, now retired, but still attends to the requirements of many long-standing clients. He became a member of the Lowveld Old Wheels some 15 years ago. "I am still actively involved. Among the 50-plussers boasting some 300 classic cars, the youngest member is in his 30s. To engage with the younger generation and get them involved with what we do, is one of our biggest challenges," said Louie.

He has just completed the restoration of a Volvo Amazon 122S and this is his story.

"My uncle, Victor Jardim, only owned two Volvos in his entire life. He bought his first Volvo, a PV444, in 1960, and immigrated to South Africa from Mozambique in 1963.

"In 1967, while I was boarding with him, he traded the PV444 for a 1965 B18. This became his everyday car for 41 years, and when he was unable to drive in 2008, it was given to me as a gift.

"As was the normal practice in the early 70s, he replaced the B18 engine with a B20. My uncle was a fitter and turner and did all repairs and servicing himself. Before restoration, the speedo stood at 87 426 miles, but I was told the clock had clicked over eight times, which comes to 887 426 miles or 1 428 173 kilometres, which is an annual average of 34 833 kilometres. Apart from the engine swap and normal servicing, no major repairs were done.

"In 2015, I started with the restoration and was hoping to complete it this year. But alas, there is still some work to be done.

"It’s been an eventful and sometimes frustrating journey. The overhaul kit and additional parts imported from Nordic (in Holland) arrived in Johannesburg on March 2, 2018, got misplaced during the post office's annual strike, and was finally delivered a year and two weeks later, only for me to find out that some parts did not fit, as there was a difference between the B20 motor with a six-stud flywheel and the one with an eight-stud, and to complicate matters, Volvo went metric in 1969.

"To add salt to injury, the engineering firm lost some of the parts, and that was when I was introduced to Fred Eksteen (classic Volvo mechanic specialist) and Rodney Verasammy (SA supplier of classic Volvo spares) who came to the rescue. The reassembly of the engine was eventually done by Ken Grossmith from Ken's Garage here in Mbombela, and still to do is the hood lining and upholstery.

"While reassembling, and to my total amazement, I noticed that my Financial Services Board Licence number, 4479, issued in 2004, was the same as the Volvo’s production number.

"This must be a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.

"I’ve just started restoring a 1957 Wolseley 1500. I also own a 1947 Chevrolet Fleetmaster that was featured in Autodealer of April 27, 2010."

So watch this space - there is more to come...

Photoshoot location: El-Car Panel Beater

Nothing in life really matters - or does it?

Art by Liezel Lüneburg. What goes around swims around.

Oh, what joy there is in drawing koi fish! The colors, the form, the grace, the stories marking the elegant bodies… Fish are one of the most fulfilling subjects to draw. I think it has to do with the harmonious way in which the fish's body becomes one with its surroundings, so unlike most people who appear to be out of place in the human world, uncomfortable in their own skins.

The other night I watched a presentation titled “Nothing in life really matters”.

In it the author created a visual picture of the infiniteness of the universe - life - illustrating in a sense, earth and the physical size and relationship between all the planets, stars and the rest and how “insignificant” us human beings are in comparison.

Based on this insignificance - he questions the importance of all the many things and situations we humans encounter daily and how we respond to the latter. How and where we place ourselves within society - hierarchies - our places of work and leisure and the status of importance we attribute to ourselves and from where, we then dictate downwards on those who we consider of lesser or no importance.

The current multitude of challenges we confront at this time are of such significance that it has, I would imagine, at least on some level, forced each of us to dedicate some time and thought to determine the focus of what and where our priorities, should be. It dictated, and will for some time to come, force us to consider new paradigms and possibilities. We have but little, or some would even submit - no choice but to consider the importance of almost all the elements in this - what we refer to, as life.  

Did someone die because of this or that mistake by someone else? If not - why are we raising hell through verbal, or even physical abuse and action to illustrate our perceived position of being more important - more educated - richer or whatever motivation you want to use to claim - again - your perceived superiority.

A spiritual teacher of mine of years back shared the following analogy. The universe is like a puzzle. Ages ago the universe experienced the “big bang” and pieces of this once beautiful universe were scattered all over. Over time though, as each of these pieces are being brought back to its rightful place within the puzzle we call the universe, healing is happening within every single moment. Most often though, we are so bombarded with the noise of our own importance, that we do not notice this.

We buy a large colorful and sometimes complicated puzzle from the shop - clear the dining room table and start constructing the outer edge of this puzzle.  Over time and many hours of painstaking concentration, we reach that point where we only need one or two small pieces to complete this beautiful and exciting picture. But wait - holy cow - we can’t find the latter! Everyone is up in arms and pointing fingers but our best efforts do not find those pieces. What do we do? What do you do?

I have, on occasion grabbed a plastic bag, chucked everything in there and just trashed it.

Now - let’s return to the question of what really matters.

Everything matters. Something may well be less significant within a particular environment, situation or moment - but it is not less important than anything and everything else - no one person is less important than the other - no piece of that puzzle or element within the universe is less or of lesser importance than the next.

We cannot be - do, or become the true essence of who we are, without the other. Without the lost pieces of that puzzle, it is incomplete - it cannot be what the picture on the box promised us.   

Everything matters - everything is connected - every breath - every physical action - every thought -however insignificant within the big picture, creates a connection with the next element of life. The universe responds to this. Quantum physics has proved that once one atom/particle has had contact with another, its connection with the other - irrespective of the distance between them, is infinite and the vibration of one influences the other. It is referred to as quantum entanglement.   

Everything matters.

Or if you want - everything is an important as it is unimportant…

A wise man once said that the character of man is reflected in the manner he/she treats those from whom he/she has nothing to gain.

Everything matters.

And well - karma is a bitch …