Blog: 50 Shades of Life - 50 days of reflection on turning 50!
On the 15th of December 2015 I turned 50. As a great mate said: " 50 times around the sun". Those that really know me know that it's the small and simple things in life that I treasure most. Watching sunsets and sunrises, sitting on top of a mountain. Playing with my doggies. Bubble baths. Drinking a cup of tea in the garden and most precious sharing adventures with my family and friends. So over the next 50 days I will share a treasured simple life event that I hope will make you too realise just how lucky we are to have those small moments in life that we so often take for granted each day. Blessings to you all.
Day 2: Today I had the privilege of getting up close and personal with 3 rare white lion cubs and cuddle and wrestle with 3 spotted hyenas. What an incredible and blessed experience!
Day 4: Tonight I am so grateful for the comfortable bed that I can lay my head down on. Today I watched with profound sadness as the red ants took away the homeless guys bedding and few possessions under their bridge they call home.
DAY6: I am grateful that at 50 I am able to reflect back on a full life of great joy, accomplishments and yes also with its own challenges, tragedies and sadness but I choose to rise above it and live life and embrace all that this adventure has in store for me. I can reflect back and say: "I did it my way!" At 50 I am free of the shackles of insecure youthfulness instead a quiet confident maturity is in its place. My adventures have taken on a new dimension and I can't wait to explore the world before me.
DAY 8: This evening I am grateful to be able to have my hubby take me out to dinner to this magical place. I think of all the lonely people, those who have lost their partners and spouses and thank God that I am still able to share special times and every day life with those that love me.
Day 9: today I am blessed to be part of a very special family. We laugh we fight we cry and hold each other up. Together we stare death in the eye. Together we beat the beast. Together we enter the beast"s belly. We fight side by side with the angels of death and life. Together we bear heartache and joy. Together we save lives and make a difference. We hold new life in our hands and comfort as old life leaves. We hold our dying brothers in our arms and this year there have been too many. I think of all the men and women in blue who gave their lives for their shield. The fire fighters who list their lives thus year. I pray for the families spending their first Christmas without them. I think of my 2 men killed in the line of duty while fighting the beast Dan and Mike you boys are sorely missed. I will be praying for you wives and children with a broken heart. We are working on Christmas day and Boxing day and so to honour you and your families we will work and complete the garden of remembrance our gift to you.
Day 10: Christmas Eve. tonight I am so grateful to be able to share this evening with my family. with so many families split up or living abroad I am thankful that we could cook this meal together and prepare for our special Christmas eve celebration sit down and reflect on what this precious moment means.
Day 12: Day of Goodwill. so grateful that yesterday my boyz and I managed to complete our Memorial Garden in honour of Mike and Dan our two brothers killed earlier this year in the line of duty while fighting a large basement fire. So grateful we have each other and our families this Christmas as sadly Dan and Mike's family spend their first Christmas with out their Husbands, fathers, sons and brothers.
Day 12: Day of Goodwill. so grateful that yesterday my boyz and I managed to complete our Memorial Garden in honour of Mike and Dan our two brothers killed earlier this year in the line of duty while fighting a large basement fire. So grateful we have each other and our families this Christmas as sadly Dan and Mike's family spend their first Christmas with out their Husbands, fathers, sons and brothers.
Day 13: So grateful to be able to watch stunning sunsets over the city. a very simple pleasure available to all if you just stop for a minute and look up!
Day 14: 28th of December 2015 so yes I do love sunsets that herald the end of a day and possibilities of a new start tomorrow. This is one of my favorite places a few kilometers from my house, a place I can quickly go to and reflect on the day or a bad shift. The wind blowing my hair, the breathtaking sunsets, the sounds of life carrying on below as the sound carries up, the sound of remote control gliders, the sound of the birds roosting for the night and the smell and feel of the wild grasses and flowers. I can even see my house from here! So grateful I have this small piece of heaven! Northcliff hill - Northcliff Ridge Eco Park
Day 15: 29th December 2015 grateful that I am able to enjoy the simple pleasure of watching musical fountains. No matter how many times I watch them I am enthralled- it brings out the child in me, the magical and fairy tales all come alive. For a magic moment I am thrown into another dimension of wonder, colour and sounds. For a moment I am with my mother and grandmother watching their faces delighting in the simple wonder of dancing water.
Day 16: 30th December 2015. I am so very grateful for my health and to be able to have a functioning body that I can still be mobile enough to explore the wonders of the outdoors. to be able push my body at the gym, to be able to still do the hard physical work my job entails, to be able to hike with heavy back packs and sleep in the mountains. Still be fit enough to take my sons on adventures.
DAY 17 31st December 2015. As the year comes to an end I am reminded if so many blessings I have. So many adventures done and so many still to do. Life is an adventure. If you don't like what you see then it's time for change.
Day 18 January 1st: today is the start of new beginnings. New goals new dreams. 365 days to live life to the full.
Day 19 2nd January. Your Blessings are right in front of you. I am grateful for the many everyday blessings like waking up every morning in a comfortable bed!
Day 21 - 4th January. Today I am so grateful to be leaving to go on a holiday by the sea with my kids!! After saving up the whole year!
DAY 20 3rd January. I am grateful for the freedom I have to be able to accomplish many things through sheer determination and hard work.
Day 22 - 5th January. Wow blessed to be able to stay in a hotel where I don't have to clean or cook for a few days. For me that is a first and been a long time fantasy! !
DAY 23 - 6th January 2016. There us just do much beauty around us. We need only open our eyes. I am so grateful for being able to see the constant beauty God has given us.
DAY 24 - 7TH January 2016 I am grateful for having a little old soul that loves me unconditionally no matter what. Jock is always there - my shadow. It is such a privilege to have someone whose whole life is just you. When I am out on my adventures this poor little guy pines horribly and it warms my heart when his entire face lights up when he sees my car and sees me get out. Love him to bits.
DAY 26 -9th January 2016 I am so grateful for the beautiful and gentle soul my daughter has become. I treasure our lunches, our shopping expeditions the years of baking yummy stuff. I love decorating and creating magic with her. I am blessed to call my daughter my best friend.
DAY 25 -8th January 2016. I am so grateful for my mom who passed on her love and knowledge of gardening. She won many awards and her garden on the farm even was on the front page of the Garden and Home many moons ago. I am grateful she was able to enjoy my garden and see that I had taken all her advice.
DAY 27 - 10th January. I am blessed to have some really special people in my life with whom I can be just me!!
DAY 29-12th January I am grateful that I am able to find places that I can just zone out away from the chaos. It is so important for our health and well being to take time to slow down, to just be and reflect on what was, what is and what will be.
DAY 29 - 12 January so grateful for being able to visit such isolated and beautiful places and take in such beauty.
DAY 31 -14th January. I grateful for my 2 gorgeous sons with whom I celebrate adventures with. I could never have asked for more awesome and incredible sons. I love you boys to the moon and back. Here is to many future adventures Mitch and Jordie.
DAY 32 -15th January so grateful that I was able to spend time with my ailing mom and to take her to all her favourite places. To get her wheelchair right up close to the ocean she loves - to feel the sea breeze in her hair and sea spray on her face. The gentle rain as we raced her wheelchair along the pier. Then sharing ice cream on the beach. We often forget how it's the simple things in life the beautiful memories that really count in the end. Remembering all her childhood and times as a young woman.
DAY 28 -11th January. Today I am grateful for my awesome hubby, my rock, my foundation in all the chaos of life. 30 years if togetherness and living life. You are my Alpha and Omega
DAY 34 17TH January grateful that I could swim in the sea and dig my toes in the sand for so many it's a bucket list wish - a life long dream that may never be realized. It's a privilege that many take for granted. If you have the sound of the ocean every day be grateful for you are one of the lucky ones.
DAY 33 - 16 January I am so grateful for the love this little guy gives me. He showers me with Odie cuddles. His crazy endless energy - keeping me on my toes. Odie makes everything better and just makes me happy.
Day 35 18 January. Great fun to be able to sit with my kids and listen to their dreams and goals. Blessed.
Day 36 - 29 January grateful for our really beautiful parks, where we can just go sit and be.!!
DAY 37 - 20 January grateful to be able to spend time with my daughter baking and decorating yummy cupcakes. Precious times.
Day 38 - 21 January I love trees and forests. I love walking between them listening as the wind rustles the leaves below and the wind whispers to mother nature.
Day 40 - 23 January. So grateful for the many opportunities that have presented themselves over the past week! !
Day 43 - 26 January. Grateful that every morning is a new day to leave yesterday behind. A new day to change things to create a life we want and the ability to change.
Day 2: Today I had the privilege of getting up close and personal with 3 rare white lion cubs and cuddle and wrestle with 3 spotted hyenas. What an incredible and blessed experience!
DAY3 of my 50 shades of life challenge. Today I am so grateful that after a tiring and emotional day I can lie in a gorgeous hot bath and smother myself in incredible fragrances. In my work most of the community I serve use a bucket and bowls to wash up. An everyday event is a luxury for others.
Day 4: Tonight I am so grateful for the comfortable bed that I can lay my head down on. Today I watched with profound sadness as the red ants took away the homeless guys bedding and few possessions under their bridge they call home.
Today I am so grateful for the full plate of food that I enjoyed for dinner. Today I was in Soweto packing donated food into food parcels to hand out to less fortunate families. A simple vegetable that we take for granted is pure luxury for so many others. Watching a group of kids tucking in with great excitement on a box of leeches slammed it home as to how blessed my kids are. It is a fact that 12 million South Africans will go to bed hungry tonight. Around 3 million of them children. So this festive season find one person in need around you and help them out with a parcel of food.
DAY6: I am grateful that at 50 I am able to reflect back on a full life of great joy, accomplishments and yes also with its own challenges, tragedies and sadness but I choose to rise above it and live life and embrace all that this adventure has in store for me. I can reflect back and say: "I did it my way!" At 50 I am free of the shackles of insecure youthfulness instead a quiet confident maturity is in its place. My adventures have taken on a new dimension and I can't wait to explore the world before me.
DAY 7: I AM SO GRATEFUL THAT I could spend today buying Christmas presents with my 3 children. Grateful that I could spend previous time with them. Lunch with my daughter and boys and to have a stable income with a bonus that I am blessed to be able to spoil my family a little at Christmas time.
DAY 8: This evening I am grateful to be able to have my hubby take me out to dinner to this magical place. I think of all the lonely people, those who have lost their partners and spouses and thank God that I am still able to share special times and every day life with those that love me.
Day 9: today I am blessed to be part of a very special family. We laugh we fight we cry and hold each other up. Together we stare death in the eye. Together we beat the beast. Together we enter the beast"s belly. We fight side by side with the angels of death and life. Together we bear heartache and joy. Together we save lives and make a difference. We hold new life in our hands and comfort as old life leaves. We hold our dying brothers in our arms and this year there have been too many. I think of all the men and women in blue who gave their lives for their shield. The fire fighters who list their lives thus year. I pray for the families spending their first Christmas without them. I think of my 2 men killed in the line of duty while fighting the beast Dan and Mike you boys are sorely missed. I will be praying for you wives and children with a broken heart. We are working on Christmas day and Boxing day and so to honour you and your families we will work and complete the garden of remembrance our gift to you.
Day 10: Christmas Eve. tonight I am so grateful to be able to share this evening with my family. with so many families split up or living abroad I am thankful that we could cook this meal together and prepare for our special Christmas eve celebration sit down and reflect on what this precious moment means.
Day 11: Today is Christmas day and I am blessed that my family got up at 05h00 to open up Christmas presents with me before I went on shift. It is really not great to work on Christmas day and it is always with a heavy heart I leave my family behind to spend it with my other family. As I drove to work seeing all the homeless under bridges and on the pavements with so little makes me even more grateful for all the wonderful gifts we shared this morning and have in our lives.
Day 12: Day of Goodwill. so grateful that yesterday my boyz and I managed to complete our Memorial Garden in honour of Mike and Dan our two brothers killed earlier this year in the line of duty while fighting a large basement fire. So grateful we have each other and our families this Christmas as sadly Dan and Mike's family spend their first Christmas with out their Husbands, fathers, sons and brothers.
Day 12: Day of Goodwill. so grateful that yesterday my boyz and I managed to complete our Memorial Garden in honour of Mike and Dan our two brothers killed earlier this year in the line of duty while fighting a large basement fire. So grateful we have each other and our families this Christmas as sadly Dan and Mike's family spend their first Christmas with out their Husbands, fathers, sons and brothers.
Day 13: So grateful to be able to watch stunning sunsets over the city. a very simple pleasure available to all if you just stop for a minute and look up!
Day 14: 28th of December 2015 so yes I do love sunsets that herald the end of a day and possibilities of a new start tomorrow. This is one of my favorite places a few kilometers from my house, a place I can quickly go to and reflect on the day or a bad shift. The wind blowing my hair, the breathtaking sunsets, the sounds of life carrying on below as the sound carries up, the sound of remote control gliders, the sound of the birds roosting for the night and the smell and feel of the wild grasses and flowers. I can even see my house from here! So grateful I have this small piece of heaven! Northcliff hill - Northcliff Ridge Eco Park
Day 15: 29th December 2015 grateful that I am able to enjoy the simple pleasure of watching musical fountains. No matter how many times I watch them I am enthralled- it brings out the child in me, the magical and fairy tales all come alive. For a magic moment I am thrown into another dimension of wonder, colour and sounds. For a moment I am with my mother and grandmother watching their faces delighting in the simple wonder of dancing water.
Day 16: 30th December 2015. I am so very grateful for my health and to be able to have a functioning body that I can still be mobile enough to explore the wonders of the outdoors. to be able push my body at the gym, to be able to still do the hard physical work my job entails, to be able to hike with heavy back packs and sleep in the mountains. Still be fit enough to take my sons on adventures.
DAY 17 31st December 2015. As the year comes to an end I am reminded if so many blessings I have. So many adventures done and so many still to do. Life is an adventure. If you don't like what you see then it's time for change.
Day 18 January 1st: today is the start of new beginnings. New goals new dreams. 365 days to live life to the full.
Day 19 2nd January. Your Blessings are right in front of you. I am grateful for the many everyday blessings like waking up every morning in a comfortable bed!
Day 21 - 4th January. Today I am so grateful to be leaving to go on a holiday by the sea with my kids!! After saving up the whole year!
DAY 20 3rd January. I am grateful for the freedom I have to be able to accomplish many things through sheer determination and hard work.
Day 22 - 5th January. Wow blessed to be able to stay in a hotel where I don't have to clean or cook for a few days. For me that is a first and been a long time fantasy! !
DAY 23 - 6th January 2016. There us just do much beauty around us. We need only open our eyes. I am so grateful for being able to see the constant beauty God has given us.
DAY 24 - 7TH January 2016 I am grateful for having a little old soul that loves me unconditionally no matter what. Jock is always there - my shadow. It is such a privilege to have someone whose whole life is just you. When I am out on my adventures this poor little guy pines horribly and it warms my heart when his entire face lights up when he sees my car and sees me get out. Love him to bits.
DAY 26 -9th January 2016 I am so grateful for the beautiful and gentle soul my daughter has become. I treasure our lunches, our shopping expeditions the years of baking yummy stuff. I love decorating and creating magic with her. I am blessed to call my daughter my best friend.
DAY 25 -8th January 2016. I am so grateful for my mom who passed on her love and knowledge of gardening. She won many awards and her garden on the farm even was on the front page of the Garden and Home many moons ago. I am grateful she was able to enjoy my garden and see that I had taken all her advice.
DAY 27 - 10th January. I am blessed to have some really special people in my life with whom I can be just me!!
DAY 29-12th January I am grateful that I am able to find places that I can just zone out away from the chaos. It is so important for our health and well being to take time to slow down, to just be and reflect on what was, what is and what will be.
DAY 29 - 12 January so grateful for being able to visit such isolated and beautiful places and take in such beauty.
DAY 31 -14th January. I grateful for my 2 gorgeous sons with whom I celebrate adventures with. I could never have asked for more awesome and incredible sons. I love you boys to the moon and back. Here is to many future adventures Mitch and Jordie.
DAY 32 -15th January so grateful that I was able to spend time with my ailing mom and to take her to all her favourite places. To get her wheelchair right up close to the ocean she loves - to feel the sea breeze in her hair and sea spray on her face. The gentle rain as we raced her wheelchair along the pier. Then sharing ice cream on the beach. We often forget how it's the simple things in life the beautiful memories that really count in the end. Remembering all her childhood and times as a young woman.
DAY 28 -11th January. Today I am grateful for my awesome hubby, my rock, my foundation in all the chaos of life. 30 years if togetherness and living life. You are my Alpha and Omega
DAY 34 17TH January grateful that I could swim in the sea and dig my toes in the sand for so many it's a bucket list wish - a life long dream that may never be realized. It's a privilege that many take for granted. If you have the sound of the ocean every day be grateful for you are one of the lucky ones.
DAY 33 - 16 January I am so grateful for the love this little guy gives me. He showers me with Odie cuddles. His crazy endless energy - keeping me on my toes. Odie makes everything better and just makes me happy.
Day 35 18 January. Great fun to be able to sit with my kids and listen to their dreams and goals. Blessed.
Day 36 - 29 January grateful for our really beautiful parks, where we can just go sit and be.!!
DAY 37 - 20 January grateful to be able to spend time with my daughter baking and decorating yummy cupcakes. Precious times.
Day 38 - 21 January I love trees and forests. I love walking between them listening as the wind rustles the leaves below and the wind whispers to mother nature.
Day 40 - 23 January. So grateful for the many opportunities that have presented themselves over the past week! !
Day 39 -22 January grateful that I have this big boy in my life. He adores me and will fight to the death to protect me. My Indy bear.
DAY 41 - 24 January. Today while on the beat I was again reminded how precious our time with our family is. It can get taken from us in a blink if an eye. So today go and hug your loved ones. Don't part in anger. Make time for each other. There may not be a tomorrow.Beowulf or fluffle bear/Indybear/fluffles
DAY 41 - 24 January. Today while on the beat I was again reminded how precious our time with our family is. It can get taken from us in a blink if an eye. So today go and hug your loved ones. Don't part in anger. Make time for each other. There may not be a tomorrow.Beowulf or fluffle bear/Indybear/fluffles
DAY 41 - 24 January. Today while on the beat I was again reminded how precious our time with our family is. It can get taken from us in a blink if an eye. So today go and hug your loved ones. Don't part in anger. Make time for each other. There may not be a tomorrow.
DAY 42 - 25 January. Grateful for all the rain that we are having. pray that it continues.
Day 44 - January 27. Today while on the beat I was reminded again how in an instant we can sit with the " if only....I had not..." the tragedy of loosing a child in preventable circumstances. I am so grateful that I was able to cone home tonight knowing my children were safe and I was able to huge each one and tell them I love them. Be grateful for every moment for everyone is precious.
45 28th January. Grateful that I have a calling that can save lives I delivered this couples baby during a difficult and complicated delivery. He is now 6 weeks old, healthy and thriving. They came to the station to thank me and gave me permission to post this.
Day 46 29th January. Grateful for the simple things in life like playing in puddles! !
Day 47 30 January Grateful for the unexpected beauty around me. You just need to stop and look for a moment.
Day 48 31 January. Grateful for the pleasures of the little moments of life
Day 49 1 February I am grateful for my brothers with whom I work side by side defeating the beast.
Day 50 2 February. This is my final post. 50 days of reflection to celebrate 50 years around the sun. I can look back at all my failures and know that I have learnt from them. I can look at my scars knowing they have made me stronger. I can look back at all my victories and know that I was never alone. I can look back at all my wonderful adventures knowing that through determination I made them happen. I can sit today and know that I have lived. That I have stared my fate in its face and said no not today. I am not finished.
The Team Zodwa Project ™
Member: FGASA (Field Guides Association of Southern Africa)
Member: Vincent de Paul Victory Park (St Charles Catholic Church)
Member: Vincent de Paul Victory Park (St Charles Catholic Church)
Photo Credits: Kim Williams Copyright
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Kim Williams | Adventurer | Founder The Team Zodwa Project & Adventure with a purpose | Finalist Johnny Walker/Sunday Times Nation’s Greatest Hero Award | #Reachoutbeahero & #Adventurewithapurpose & #Trek4Hunger Ambassador |Brand Ambassador Eatfresh SA| Public Speaker|Facilitator| Outstanding Founders list @MagnificHQ |Outstanding People List @GirlsRunThings | Blogger| Fizzical National Everyday Hero Winner
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