The X Factor

It was excellent queuing weather.  We waited for the downpour to pass, had a lazy morning with tea in bed, and after breakfast, joined the line of people waiting to vote in the local government elections. Our allocated venue was the Blue School ( it has another name, but Pinelanders have forever named the primary schools in the area according to the colour of the uniforms.)  It was Daughter's first time voting, so there was an extra zing in the air. She had done her prep work - finding out who was standing on which policy platforms, deciding where to put her X.  Andrew found a friend (well, our lovely neighbour) to chat to to, Daughter had brought a book, and I was content to just pass the time watching people and thinking.

My thoughts drifted off in two directions.  Firstly, I was fairly familiar with the Blue school, as my mother taught there when I was a youngster.  At the age of about 7 or so, I would catch a school bus from my primary school in Rondebosch and walk to meet her there and wait until she had finished teaching.  It was a bit of an adventure for a 7 year old, and I could feel my thoughts shrinking into small girl mode, feeling important that I was so independent. I pictured Little Me, blue dress, straw hat, t-bar black regulation shoes and a book bag of learning.

Secondly, I was remembering the very wonderful 1994 elections and that voting queue. We were living in a different part of Cape Town then, and the queue was very, very long.  As the first democratic elections in South Africa, it represented a birth of some kind for the country.  There was joy, relief and excitement in the air, and such a feeling of community and good will.  It is also the first - and only- time I have ever fainted.  

It was a bit of a surprise to find myself on the ground, surrounded by concerned people and a kindly stranger holding my green umbrella.  It took me a moment to figure out what had happened. It turns out that I too was at the beginning of a new era.  I was urged to go to the front of the queue along with all the other people who were ill, old or pregnant.  But there was no way I wanted to miss out on this historic occasion,  so the three of us - Andrew, me and the Being who turned out to be our auspicious Son, resumed our wait.

Making our mark in the world is a way of owning our right to be an individual and to engage with community.  That X in the block is so much more than a vote for a political party.  It is a sign that my opinion matters, my decision counts.  I am here, World, and what I think matters just as much as (and no more than) the next person.

Mother Daughter bonding moment.  The zany nail is hers,obviously!

Drive Throughs and take aways

 My head and my heart need a distraction from the turmoil and unrest that overwhelms us as a country at the moment. Sadness needs to be measured or we run a risk of being consumed by it.   So here is my diversion:

Drive throughs and take aways.

Do these things remind you of your childhood?  Who remembers the The Doll House?  For out-of-towners, and anyone who is younger than.....shall we say middle aged....., this was a drive in restaurant in Sea Point.  We would pile into the family car (there were 6 of us) and  pull up in a parking slot and wait for the uniformed waiter to take our order.  It was health food all the way:  Hot dogs, slap chips and milkshakes.  And now for the exciting part:  the goodies were placed on a tray which could be held on a partially open car window.  There was a special skill involved in getting the food before the Sea Gulls did.  They were particularly fond of the chips. So my memories include the cry of the birds, my Mom's exclamations about their cheekiness, the background murmur of the sea, and good family times.

 

The place closed down in 1983.  It had had a long run, having opened in 1938 (nice symmetry of numbers there).  It was knocked down and the site is now home to apartments that benefit from the most wonderful sea and mountain views.  

To close the loop of past and present, I am hoping to be invited to tea there towards the end of the year (hint hint, B!) as my good friend has just had her offer accepted, and she will be moving in to her new home built on the Doll House site.

By the time our kids were around, Drive ins were not really in vogue.  We did take the children once or twice, and that was enough! And then the concept disappeared for a while, or least was not something we pursued.  And drive through restaurants became common and Nothing Special, even bribing the kids with toys because Happy meals need plastic figurines to make them palatable. 

I experienced a new type of Drive Through last week:  we rolled up, parked in the spot indicated, a uniformed person asked what we needed, and then she shoved a long cotton swab up my left nostril. Covid testing has to be my least favourite of the drive through options available, although I am grateful at how quick and easy it was. It brought tears to my eyes as the swab went through passages I didn't know existed.  Negative result. I was very relieved.

It feels like Everyone is dealing with a lot at the moment. So I need to look for the kindnesses people show each other.  Every smile, every comment of concern, all acts of humanity -small gestures, big efforts-, build the bigger jigsaw picture that will get us through these overwhelming times.

 Bite sized kindness can change the world. That is my take away.