RETRO[SPECTIVE]

Howzit guys!

So, I was man-down with this hectic flu virus doing the rounds! Certainly, felt like a strain of Covid but shhhhhh…. we cannot say that word anymore! This particular virus hit me hard and hopefully thanks to my Vaccine shots came through it relatively well. Sleep was definitely the best medicine. The worst part is that I could not play padel, although I did try against my better judgement! I took the week off and was not able to gym or go for my regular walks along the beach. This week I am definitely back to normal and look forward to getting some routine back into my life!

Winter is rapidly approaching here in the Cape with some very heavy mist and freezing conditions in the mornings. Based on last winter we are in for some interesting weather and lots of rain!! My plan is to play lots of indoor padel and pop lots of vitamin D pills! I have entered a padel winter league, so the first box is already ticked! 😊

My Dark Passenger has been giving me a challenging time lately as I realise just how strong he can be. He has been playing with my head and robbing me of a lot of self-confidence. But I am pushing him back by finding people to talk to that have become my mentors and otherwise just good listeners. Its so important to surround yourself with the right people. People who are like-minded but also people who have something to offer you. They are the people who ask how you are doing and mean it. They wait for your response and are genuinely interested.

I have seen a lot of motivational quotes lately on social media saying that we should remain private and not share too much with other people, but I think this can be misconstrued and misunderstood. Privacy is super important and something to be protected at all times BUT we must also ensure that we have a safety net of people around us that we can turn to when needed. These very same people will respect your privacy but also know when you are struggling.

While walking along the beach before I got sick, I was thinking about hindsight and being retrospective. Retro for me as an architect is using a style or element from the past but in a very modern or contemporary way. For me it is the contract between the old and new that creates something very magical.

Hindsight as they say, is an amazing thing. You have the benefit of learning from your past experiences so that they are not repeated. In my opinion, if you do not learn anything you will continue to hit your head against the wall until you do! So, retrospectively speaking we get to move forward in life by learning from our past.

Moving to the Cape, in hindsight has been an incredible learning experience for me. I have had the opportunity to recreate a new life for myself but at the same time, I have had to deal with a lot of issues that needed to be dealt with. While living in Johannesburg my life was a reaction to my surroundings. I also did not realise how unhappy I was until I moved. I now find myself dealing with that very unhappiness as the only way I can move forwards here in the Cape is to address and deal with my past.

A change of scenery is amazing but true clarity only comes after retrospection.

Retrospectively, I am working my way through my past so that I can free up my future!

I cannot speed it up, nor control it…everyday that I focus on it, it challenges my current thought process until my new one becomes justified.

So, listen to your soul, open up to your true friends and focus on the journey with hindsight and retrospection as your guides…

Have an awesome week and I will see you on the other side!

Later,                                                                                                                                                         

Joe.blogs