Tuesday

There is something deeply underrated about the ordinary.

So today I decided, I will be leaning deeply into the little things, because damn this week has been heavy and it’s only Tuesday.

I’m packing away the self-reflection and self-improvement, the excavations and deep dives for now, and sinking my teeth into tiny pleasures. I’ll be saving my dysfunction and demons for festive season in December when everyone up in here be crazy anyway, and collectively we all lose our damn minds.

I choose simple... a simple man, a simple life and all the tiny, delicious nuggets of ordinary that bring carefree me back to the surface.

The mood is giving muisneste and merriment.

It started with morning hugs and foot rubs, because apparently my toes, painted an unnecessarily cheerful cherry red, deserved some appreciation.

 And why the hell not?

There are worse ways to begin a day than being loved in small, unremarkable ways.

Then came the beach.

Just a slow, mid-morning walk on home sand, with the shallow water playing around our feet and the icy West Coast sea daring us to frolic like children who had forgotten we were supposed to be grown-ups with bills and daily meds.

Someone had written Love Derrick in the sand.

And Derrick, quite happily, was snapping photographs of the woman who had written it as she danced against the backdrop of Table Mountain.

She giggled.

He roared with approval.

Bruh and I applauded.

She took a little bow and celebrated her beautiful self. I felt neither beautiful nor carefree quite yet, but I was sure the Vitamin D and the hand holding would eventually sort that out.

Further along, a family played in the sand, building sand castles and posing for their overly eager mom who couldn't wait to upload her "my view today" post to her socials from between her legs encased in palm print leggings. 

She was feeling herself and her life…how brilliant!

We dodged out of the way, only for a sea gull to boldly photo bomb the family portrait, swooping dangerously close to the daughter who was happily munching on a polony sandwich.

And just like that—

Ah.

Life was beginning to unfold with wonder.

I clung to him, my feet sliding deeper into the powdery white sand as I pulled him closer, hoping that he wouldn't notice my tragically weak flirting technique.

Menopause can do crazy things to a marriage, but there is nothing that a good dose of playfulness cannot undo!

He laughed, I batted lashes as gulls cooed and a lone surfer was joined by a solo majestic duck gliding on the calm waters as if it were a swan.

Maybe like that duck, I too could become graceful like a swan.

Yikes, probably not.

Instead I plodded on, hair flying in the wind, more Afro than Bob with the biggest grin on my face. Because damn, being make-up free, and barefoot on home sand was exactly what I needed!

We made our way to the car park where the Backyard Barber and the Curious Coffee truck were buzzing, the delicious smell of coffee drawing a small crowd of oldies from the neighbourhood, chatting on and on as if they had forever...

And in that moment, forever felt truly possible.

We gave them a knowing nod as if to say, "We see you!" and continued on our way.

At the end of the lot, a tourist was deep in negotiations with the curio sellers, haggling furiously over a canvas she clearly could not possibly live without. The seller seemed less interested in closing the deal than in enjoying the back-and-forth, and honestly, I couldn't blame him.

"Ah, these moments—so banal, so ordinary— are in fact the extraordinary feeding our souls and making life feel pretty cool amidst the bigger world picture and all the  noise.

And all it took was a walk. A duck. And an open heart.