just in case!

so it's been two weeks since i moved to johannesburg and i've started driving! once i got some safety tips from my wonderful colleagues (drive with your doors locked, your purse in the trunk and your cellphone under your legs) i felt ready to hit the road. while driving, (and getting lost in the process), i noticed the strangest of things.

at the major intersections along johannesburg's highways there are anywhere between 2 to 4 tow trucks parked up. they literally sit there all day, all night waiting for an accident to happen. they're called 'vultures'.

imagine that. they just park there, waiting, just in case an accident happens.

photo courtesy Marie Tichborne www.far-beyond-zebra.blogspot.com

of course, more than wanting to actually help, their real desire is to make money off of these potential accidents. but i can't help but wonder what the people in the trucks are actually missing out on while waiting for something bad to happen. 

better yet,  in our own lives, in the midst of playing it safe and preparing ourselves "just in case" something should happen, what are we missing out on?


think about all the things you plan or hope to do "as soon as…

a) you save enough money
b) you make enough money
c) you have enough money


it seems as though society teaches us to live in a constant state of planning for the future and preparation for the unexpected. so we buy insurance, we take out a pension, we open savings accounts etc. and then we work really hard to afford the insurance and the pension and to fatten the savings accounts. don't get me wrong, i'm not against insurance or savings, but my question is "when does your life actually start?" we work so hard to afford things to protect our lives that we don't actually live! so, what is it that we're protecting if we keeping putting off the really meaningful stuff?

many of us want to give, or do something to help others,  but we often feel that we have to make sure we have all we want and need before we can give to someone else. in truth, it's the opposite. if you truly want to receive and have everything that you want, try giving first. for someone to place something in your hands, they must be open.

and yet some of us feel that we don't have anything to give. i've seriously given this some thought and i've determined that once you have any or all of the items on the checklist below you have something to give:

1) life
2) breath
3) thoughtfulness
4) time
5) heart

our days are filled with so many opportunities to give that go unnoticed or ignored. i remember i used to dream of running off and volunteering in Africa with the UN,  yet i would pass homeless people on the street with a bag full of groceries. there i was, busily scouring idealist.org for international development job opportunities, because i wanted to change the world. yet, i couldn't give someone without food a sandwich. long and short of it: charity begins at home. in the middle of our preparation, planning and protection against the unexpected, little moments present themselves that allow us to take our focus off ourselves and just give. don't wait for them to happen; FIND THEM.

stay tuned for my follow-up to this post: 10 Things You Can Do Right Now to Make a Difference