Gedig vir my vrou op ons spesiale dag

𝐯𝐢𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐯𝐫𝐨𝐮

(𝐨𝐩 𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐠!)

𝐧é𝐭 𝐣𝐲

𝗆𝖾𝗍 𝗇𝖾𝗍 𝖽𝗂𝖾 𝗍𝗋𝖾𝗄

𝗏𝖺𝗇 𝗆𝗒 𝗆𝗈𝗇𝖽 𝗈𝖿 𝗈ë

𝗐𝖾𝖾𝗍 𝗃𝗒 𝗂𝖾𝗍𝗌 𝗉𝗅𝖺

𝖾𝗇 𝖺𝗌 𝗃𝗒 𝗏𝗋𝖺

𝗂𝗌 𝖾𝗄 𝗅𝖺𝖺𝗌𝗍𝖾 𝗈𝗆 𝗍𝖾 𝗀𝗅𝗈

𝗈𝗆 𝗍𝖾 𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗄 𝖽𝗂𝖾 𝗍𝗒𝖽 𝗆𝖺𝖺𝗄

𝖽𝖺𝗍 𝗀𝗂𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗂𝗇 ‘𝗇 𝗐𝖺𝖺𝗌 𝗏𝖾𝗋𝖻𝗒 𝖽𝗋𝗒𝖿

𝖾𝗇 𝗇𝗈𝗎 𝗄𝖺𝗇 𝗇𝖾𝗍 𝗃𝗒 𝗏𝗈𝖾𝗅

𝖺𝗌 ‘𝗇 𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗆 𝗄𝗈𝗆 𝗐𝗈𝖾𝗅

𝗂𝗇 𝗁𝗂𝖾𝗋𝖽𝗂𝖾 𝗅𝗒𝖿

𝗁𝗈𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝗌, 𝗅𝗂𝖾𝖿

𝗇é𝗍 𝗃𝗒 𝗄𝖾𝗇 𝗆𝗒

𝗁𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝗌𝖾 𝖽𝗋𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾

𝖾𝗇 𝖽𝗂𝖾 𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗅𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾

𝗐𝖺𝗍 𝖽𝖺𝖺𝗋𝗎𝗂𝗍 𝗌𝗉𝗈𝖾𝗅

© 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐰𝐲𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰

𝗠𝘆 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 – 𝟮𝟳 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬

With the COVID-19 pandemic reaching a peak, we have become more impatient because we have not volunteered for this, nor have we asked for it. Alas, it is here. We, however, do not have to accept it, but just be aware of its presence by adhering to social distancing and hygiene practices. It means that we must not conceal the fears and uncertainty brought on by the pandemic.

Have you noticed the increasing number of posts by people calling for the lockdown to end? The government is accused of lies etc. Really? Welcome to the new normal; we are in uncertain times. The whole world (including third world countries) is dealing with a pandemic that nobody understands. All economies are affected, some admittedly more adverse than others.

We do have one certainty, and that is the fact that God is not bound by time. COVID-19 has a ‘shelf life’ like all the other viruses from the previous centuries. So, this too shall pass. To say the pandemic has uprooted our lives is an understatement. Before the lockdown, most of us were used to partitioning our time to strike a balance between work, studies, hobbies, etc. The world is not going back to ‘business as usual’ any time soon. So, what do we do in the meantime?

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, we all complained that we had no time or were out of time. Maybe now is the time to take stock. Perhaps we should not go any further until we have accomplished this. How can we achieve this? We can start by uniting in the fight against a common enemy known as COVID-19.

Let us take heart in the fact that according to 2 Chronicles 16:9, "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”

A Man's Got To Have a Code (Poem)

𝗔 𝗺𝗮𝗻’𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲

(𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧-𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙫𝙞𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚)

𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛

𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚠𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐!

𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚍𝚘 𝙸 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚒𝚗

𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚒𝚋𝚎 𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐?

𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚍𝚘 𝙸 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚒𝚗

𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐?

𝙼𝚛 𝚖𝚊𝚗, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚍

𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔,

𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝'𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚙𝚞𝚝

𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚔𝚗𝚒𝚏𝚎!

𝙽𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐’𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛

𝚊𝚜 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔

- 𝚊 𝚖𝚊𝚗'𝚜 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚍𝚎!

𝚄𝚗𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚍𝚎

𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎,

𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚊𝚠 𝚊𝚗 𝚞𝚗𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚐𝚒𝚏𝚝,

𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚒𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝

𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚋𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜

- 𝚊 𝚖𝚊𝚗'𝚜 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚍𝚎!

𝙸 𝚠𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚘𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚔𝚎 𝚖𝚎,

𝙸 𝚠𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚙 𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚖𝚋𝚕𝚎

𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝’𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚎!

𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚋𝚛𝚞𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚍,

𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞!

𝙸 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜

𝚍𝚛𝚢 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗

- 𝚊 𝚖𝚊𝚗'𝚜 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚍𝚎!

© 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝘄𝘆𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄

Gedig vir Ma

𝗴𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗴 𝘃𝗶𝗿 𝗠𝗮

𝙼𝚊, 𝚍𝚒𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚟𝚊𝚗 𝚓𝚘𝚞 𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚍

𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚖𝚢 𝚔𝚕𝚊𝚊𝚜𝚟𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚎

𝚝𝚘𝚎 𝚎𝚔 𝚗𝚒𝚎 𝚔𝚘𝚗 𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚊𝚙 𝚗𝚒𝚎

𝚎𝚗 𝚓𝚘𝚞 𝚘ë 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚔𝚛𝚒𝚔𝚟𝚘ë𝚕𝚜

𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚕 𝚖𝚢 𝚗𝚊𝚐𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜

𝙼𝚊, 𝚠𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚝 𝚓𝚢 𝙷𝚘𝚖 𝚐𝚎𝚟𝚛𝚊

𝚠𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚢 𝚟𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚐 𝚗𝚘𝚐 𝚍𝚛𝚊?

𝙼𝚊, 𝚎𝚔 𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚓𝚢 𝚖𝚊𝚊𝚔 𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚍

𝚟𝚒𝚛 ‘𝚗 𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚍𝚞𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐

𝚎𝚗 𝚎𝚔 𝚟𝚒𝚛 ‘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚜𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚊𝚛 𝚜𝚎 𝚟𝚊𝚕

𝙼𝚊, 𝚠𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚘𝚎𝚝 𝚎𝚔 𝙷𝚘𝚖 𝚟𝚛𝚊

𝚘𝚖 𝚓𝚘𝚞 ‘𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚊𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚝𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚊𝚛?

𝙼𝚊, 𝚖𝚊𝚐 𝚖𝚢 𝚐𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚐

𝚓𝚘𝚞 𝚑𝚘𝚞 𝚋𝚢 𝚖𝚢

𝚟𝚒𝚛 𝚎𝚠𝚒𝚐

© 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝘄𝘆𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄

My Lockdown Journal - 9 July 2020

𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 has risen during the lockdown period. It is a time during which managers should be sensitive and compassionate towards employees. It is not a time to show who is in control. It is also not a time to manage employees, but rather manage the work, product, or service. Why? Because we are all in the same pandemic panic. Managers must establish loyalty and trust if they want to handle the situation properly. They must prove to their supervisors and teams that they truly care about their well-being. It does not cost money to just listen to their concerns and be supportive during this difficult time.

𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁-𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀. Now is not the time to treat employees badly, humiliate them because of a manager's own insecurities or whatever personal issues he/she might have. This can have a severe impact on job performance in times of crisis, compromising quality, and productivity. Workplace bullying can be a gradual build-up of little incidents and misunderstandings that can wear employees down.

It might sound easy to give employees instructions or tasks, but who delivers the message does not matter more than the way it is delivered. Just the tone of a manager's voice can create unnecessary hostility and tension. Trust can be built in many ways. One way is for managers to demonstrate thought-leadership and compassion now, and positive results will follow. It is the best way to 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝘆-𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗳𝗳.

During the lockdown, leaders are expected to take control, be a resource, and provide support by communicating with a positive attitude. Don't be downright rude and arrogant.

Negativity Bias

Humans have a tendency to think negatively, not positively. As Laura Vanderkam writes, "Negativity bias is a well-known phenomenon in psychology. Adults spend more time looking at negative images than positive ones; they pay more attention to negative information when making decisions than positive information."

One way to interrupt that negativity is to simply be mindful of its absence. When there’s no immediate threat to your happiness, pause, reflect, and think, “This is a good moment.” It’s a double win: Not only are you not unhappy, but now you’re happy about it, too. Waiting to be happy limits our brain’s potential for success, whereas cultivating positive brains makes us more motivated, efficient, resilient, creative, and productive, which drives performance upward.

Remember the French philosopher, René Descartes's words: "It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well.

Taxi Queen (Poetry)

𝘁𝗮𝘅𝗶 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗻

𝗃𝗒 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗌𝖾𝗌𝗍𝗂𝖾𝗇 𝖾𝗇 𝗆𝖺𝗆𝗆𝖺 𝗌𝖾 𝗄𝗅𝖾𝗂𝗇𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀

𝗆𝖺𝖺𝗋 𝗇𝗈𝗎 𝖽𝗂𝖾 𝗍𝖺𝗑𝗂 𝖽𝗋𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗌𝖾 𝖻𝖾𝗌𝗂𝗍𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀

𝗃𝗒’𝗌 𝗇𝗈𝗈𝗂𝗍 𝗅𝖺𝖺𝗍 𝗏𝗂𝗋 ‘𝗇 𝖿𝗋𝖾𝖾-𝗋𝗂𝖽𝖾

𝖾𝗇 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝖽 𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗅𝗂𝗄 𝗇á 𝗌𝗄𝗈𝗈𝗅 𝗄𝗈𝗆 𝗁𝖺𝖺𝗅

𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝗃𝗒’𝗌 𝖽𝗂𝖾 𝖽𝗋𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗌𝖾 𝖻𝗋𝗂𝖽𝖾

𝖺𝗅𝗐𝖺𝗒𝗌 𝗐𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖾𝗇 𝖻𝖺𝗂𝖾 𝗌𝗉𝖾𝗌𝗂𝖺𝖺𝗅

𝗆𝖺𝖺𝗋 𝗆𝖺𝗆𝗆𝖺 𝗌𝖾 𝗉𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗌𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗂𝖾 𝗁𝖾𝗍 𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗀𝖾𝖾𝗍

𝗈𝗆 𝖽𝗂𝖾 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀-𝖺𝖿𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗉𝗂𝗅 𝗍𝖾 𝗏𝖺𝗍

𝗇𝗈𝗎’𝗌 𝗃𝗒 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗀𝗀𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝖾𝗇 𝗁𝗒 𝗂𝗌 𝗄𝗐𝖺𝖺𝖽

𝖽𝗂𝖾 𝗀𝗂𝖿𝗍𝗌 𝗁𝖾𝗍 𝗁𝗎𝗅 𝗏𝖺𝗅𝗎𝖾 𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗅𝗈𝗈𝗋

𝖾𝗇 𝖽𝗂𝖾 𝗋𝗂𝖽𝖾 𝗁𝖾𝗍 𝖾𝗑𝗉𝖾𝗇𝗌𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗀𝖾𝗐𝗈𝗋𝖽

𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝖽𝗂𝖾 𝖽𝗋𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝖾𝗇 𝗀𝗎𝖺𝗋𝖽𝗃𝗂𝖾 𝗂𝗌 𝗈𝗉 𝗃𝗈𝗎 𝗌𝗉𝗈𝗈𝗋

𝗈𝗆𝖽𝖺𝗍 𝗃𝗒 𝖽𝗋𝖾𝗂𝗀 𝗈𝗆 𝗍𝖾 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗋𝗍

“𝗀𝗈𝗎, 𝗆𝖺𝗆𝗆𝖺 𝗌𝖾 𝗉𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗌𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗂𝖾, 𝗃𝗎𝗆𝗉 𝗎𝗂𝗍 𝖽𝗂𝖾 𝗍𝖺𝗑𝗂

𝖽𝗂𝖾 𝖺𝗎𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗋𝗂𝗍𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝗄𝖺𝗇 𝖽𝗂𝗍 𝗇𝗂𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗉 𝗇𝗂𝖾

𝗃𝗒 𝗏𝖾𝗋𝖽𝗂𝖾𝗇 𝗇𝗂𝖾 𝗁𝗂𝖾𝗋𝖽𝗂𝖾 𝗉𝗋𝗒𝗌 𝗇𝗂𝖾”

© 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝘄𝘆𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄

Lockdown Journal - Day 28

My Lockdown Journal 2020 – Thursday, Day 28:

I love songs and poetry about the moon. Unfortunately, the novel coronavirus took centre stage when a supermoon beamed beautifully at us a few weeks ago. The moon has been at the centre of controversy when Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong set foot on it in 1969. Many people thought that moon landing was fake. One thing that I know for sure is that the moon is made of cheese. There are thousands of conspiracy theories about it on the internet. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a conspiracy theory is, “a theory that explains an event or set of circumstances as the result of a secret plot by usually powerful conspirators.”

Over the past couple weeks, the strangeness of this lockdown life has seeped into every nook and cranny of our daily lives, exposing, among other things, the conspiracy theories. Social media has made it possible for people to say whatever they like and think. It’s a conspiracy theorist’s heaven. There are countless conspiracy theories flying around about the novel coronavirus. One popular conspiracy theory is that COVID-19 is a bioweapon created in a lab in China. I guess people begin to believe these theories, especially when professionals in the field make those claims.

COVID-19 has created a perfect storm for conspiracy theorists. I've observed on social media platforms just how much South Africans love conspiracy theories. Okay, some of it is humour, but the rest are serious claims. We all feel vulnerable because this pandemic and the effects of it on our daily lives are almost depressing. This could also be a reason why spreading conspiracy theories gives some people more of a feeling of control. It should stop because it’s a false sense of control. It causes more harm than anything during this trying time.

Claims that the government is using the lockdown restrictions to control its citizens is dangerous and laughable. The aim of these allegations is to ultimately force the government to lift the lockdown. Fighting a deadly virus like COVID-19 is not that simple. It is unrealistic to expect a normal life to return after the lockdown has been lifted even partially. Throughout the world, people are coming together to do what they can to fight the pandemic that has changed life as we know it. Let us fight this common enemy together by staying home.

The impact of COVID-19 on our psyche is severe. During the lockdown, many women, men and children are stuck at home with their abusers. The number of cases reported since the beginning of the lockdown is scary. The right thing to do is to help someone who needs our help. Call the Stop Gender-Based Violence Helpline on 0800 150 150.

#StayAtHome
#SaferTogether
#SocialDistancing
#LockdownJournal
#LockdownSouthAfrica
#COVID19

Lockdown Journal - Day 27

My Lockdown Journal 2020 – Wednesday, Day 27:

The country’s poorest of the poor are experiencing extreme hardship under the extended lockdown. This is not unique to South Africa because hundreds of third world countries around the world are going through the same hardships if not worse. We are all in this together.

Last night, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a massive, R500-billion package aimed at loosening the grip that COVID-19 has on the economy. It is unprecedented, historic and unexpected. He announced that unemployed people, not in receipt of money from the Unemployment Insurance Fund, or a grant, will get R350 per month for 6 months. Grant beneficiaries are to receive an extra R250 a month for the next 3 months. He announced several other aid packages during the live broadcast.

The COVID-19 pandemic has given couch potatoes and keyboard protestors an opportunity to hurl criticism at our president with statements like, “not enough” and “stop the lockdown”. It seems to me that they refuse to take accountability because they expect the government to do its job of protecting its citizens. To lift the lockdown restrictions now would increase the transmission of the coronavirus dramatically.

The impact of COVID-19 on our psyche is severe. During the lockdown, many women, men and children are stuck at home with their abusers. The number of cases reported since the beginning of the lockdown is really scary. There is no excuse for abuse during or after lockdown. The bravest thing you and I can do is to help someone who needs help or is asking for help. Call the Stop Gender-Based Violence Helpline on 0800 150 150.

#StayAtHome
#SaferTogether
#SocialDistancing
#LockdownJournal
#LockdownSouthAfrica
#COVID19