After last week’s dark post, I promised to write a light-hearted tale for Pegman who took us to Free State, South Africa this week. 147-words later, I think I’ve managed to do just that.
Life is good. Always.
Even in early spring when the weather turns hot and dry, and plants are dead or dormant, and supplies of autumn nuts are exhausted. In that season our people gather around permanent waterholes to hunt besbok and wildebeest that cannot range far from the receding waters. After rain replenishes the earth, ladies gather fruit, berries, bush onions. Children capture grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars, and moths to supplement the meat our men bring home.
Mornings are met with a smile. We know what is expected and band together to accomplish our tasks. Community is key.
Evenings bring peace. The world softens. We laugh and dance and make love in the shadows. Women pass babies from lap to lap so they know they are loved. No one shouts at the children. Ever.
Our lives may seem simple but we would never trade them for yours.
Oh Lish, that’s lovely! What an idyllic lifestyle. I particularly liked the way babies are passed from lap to lap, so they know they are loved.
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Thanks, Penny. I got the idea of passing the babies from a story a patient at the dental office once told me about when she and friends were kayaking in Alaska and came upon a group of otters passing their babies from one to another. Such a loving idea. Cheers!
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Sounds too good to be true! If only such a place existed. That was a refreshing break from the real world 🙂
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Ah, a little fiction never hurt anyone. Especially now when things are all too real! Thanks, Iain.
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If only life was so simple – some people want more and even whatever you have.
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That’s exactly why these people are staying inside this idyllic world ;-). Thanks, James
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This is delightfully lyrical and almost mesmerizing in tone. Lovely! I especially love the idea of never yelling at children (it achieves little, anyway, other than crush young souls), and passing babies from lap to lap so they know they’re loved, and at home. 🙂
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Ah, thanks Na’ama, what a lovely comment. Cheers.
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🙂
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A splendid story, Lish. I love the lyrical quality to it. Amazing photo, too.
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Thanks, Josh.
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Your story comes as a breath of fresh air.
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I’m glad. I truly tried to go on the lighter side this go-round.
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Appreciated. That’s the reason I sometimes back off. As I would have done this week were it not for the family story.
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A rich portrait of a full community life. It sounds so wonderful, although I imagine that as with any way of life, there are downsides too, and that the grass can look greener on the other side of the fence.
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Indeed! Even as I wrote this I thought ~ gossip, in-fighting, children squabbling, jealousy ~ still, wouldn’t it be nice? Thanks for dropping by.
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It would be nice for a change, for a while, I’m sure!
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