WE WILL RISE…

“Mama, you threw me down there”, cried the two-year old Melobuhle Manyoni repeatedly last Tuesday when she was reunited with her mother.  Naledi Manyoni had been on the 16^th floor of their apartment building in Durban when the fire started.  Naledi ran down the stairs with her daughter, made her way to a ledge above the street and tossed the toddler to a group of people below.

“After throwing her, I held my head in shock, but they caught her”, a shocked but relieved Manyoni said afterwards…

Didn’t we all feel a bit thrown last Monday as we helplessly witnessed the looting and destruction, while our President said something, which was actually a bunch of nothing…

To be honest, I already felt a bit thrown on Sunday, when president Ramaphosa unexpectedly announced that gyms could open again.  Had I been aware of that, I wouldn`t even have written that Blog on solitude last Sunday.  Yes, I know, I should have felt ecstatic to be reunited with my members, but one just can’t help but feel a bit like a puppet – now you’re open, now you’re closed, now you can’t buy this, now you can’t do that…

But I have to say, seeing the smiles of everyone back in class and listening to the cheers of “this is fantastic” and witnessing how everyone just executed all those steps we’ve been practising the previous two weeks on Zoom, just lifted my spirits!

As hard as it seems to put out new content for my Blog when there`s such an overload being shoved in your brain, I realize writing is how I process, so when I don`t write, it just seems to make things worse. And I know this is a fitness Blog, but today I just need to capture a few of the hopeful, special moments of the past week into one piece of writing, despite the utter chaos.

It`s crazy to look and see how messy things were only a week ago, and now to be able to look at the sparkles of hope, just reminds us that the sun is going to keep rising, and we`re always going to keep trying.

Twenty-One Pilots describes it perfectly in this line from their song “Truce”.  It kept popping into my head the last few days – “the sun will rise, and we will try again.”  It gave me goosebumps to read that The “RebuildSA” volunteer Facebook group that was created on Tuesday has already attracted more than 50 000 members willing to help clean up, donate money and transport food.

I think you all have seen the video of Shoprite in the Tugela Ferry Mall – the only shop in that 15 000m2 building that wasn`t looted – thanks to quick-witted managers who grabbed bottles of cooking oil from the shelves and poured it outside as the looters approached.  The widely shared video shows looters crashing to the floor as they hit the oil patch. 

The heartening and hopeful evidence of good people standing together and looking to protect each other is everywhere.  We saw old and young, rich and poor, black, white and Indian, determined to look after their neighbourhoods.

Then, on Wednesday morning, one rather unusual video went viral, showing a man playing bagpipes in La Lucia, a suburb in North Durban, as community watch group members stood guard.  Michael Cairns, the bagpipe player said: “I`m not a public speaker but this is my way of sending a positive message of hope.”  People who heard him described the emotional scene with tears in their eyes.

On Thursday, a piano player in Waterfall KZN, had everyone sobbing when she was playing piano while there was debris strewn at her feet, ransacked storage units to her left and a burnt out building on her right.  When I first saw the video on Facebook, I thought she had driven all the way out there with her piano…

But no, apparently Jenny Bowes was out there the whole day trying to retrieve her brother`s remaining personal things in storage that had been ravaged.  In the midst of mayhem, madness and sadness, it was as if Jenny`s music floated above it all to bring exquisite hope, infusing beauty and love into that scene of devastation.

When Jenny`s brother Chris saw the video, he said: “That`s my beautiful sister playing…Thank you Jenny Bowes for saving my few life`s possessions for me while overseas in Dubai.  Praying for everyone back in South Africa…”

In one of the videos Jenny sings God is Great, followed by the National anthem.  Do yourself a favour and watch it.  Try not to cry.  Actually, you know what?  Don’t.  Let the tears flow!

The Canadian based author Matshona Dhliwayo once wrote: “If you kick a lion when it`s down, God help you when it gets up.”  These instigators did not expect the resilience of South Africans, their coup attempt was weakly organised, and they have lost control of the situation. 

It will take much more to bring South Africa to its knees.  In the words of Israelmore Ayivor:

“As long as there is life, there is potential, and as long as there is potential, there will be success.  You will sprout again when cut down!  You will rise again when you fall.”

Tomorrow we will rise, and the sun will also rise.  And maybe we won`t bounce right back, and maybe we`ll feel vulnerable and exposed for many more weeks.  But this winter won`t be eternal, this havoc won`t last, although it feels like it at times.  Moving on doesn’t mean we forget the past.  Pain is real, but should we not forget that Love is more real.

So, with this week`s rambling I would like to remind myself, and you, that when things are bad, we are not going to be stuck in that forever.  And it doesn`t matter if we fall down, everyone does.  What matter is what we do next.  We either stay down or rise up again.  That`s what determines our strength.

And when we are thrown, like Melobuhle Manyoni, or pushed to the edge, let`s remember that “only two things can happen; either God will catch us when we fall, or He will teach us how to fly…” – Unknown

But. We. Will. Sprout. Again.

Yours in fitness

Mirna

082 779 0507