Thank You.

Dear Mr. Jensen,*

I have never expressed how grateful I am to you for hiring me those many years ago. Your single act of giving me an occupation has brought about far more than I think you may realize and now is the time, on the eve of my working career here at WSP*, to let you know how much I appreciate your act of kindness.

I was nothing but a glorified servant, bringing people their food, with a head full of inexperienced knowledge but desperately trying to obtain an opportunity to prove myself useful in an occupation that simply wouldn’t let me in. I would see what I so sorely desired as if I were a child with my face up against the window of a wealthy homestead but with no hope of entry or invitation. Finally, and may I say extremely near the end of my tether, someone – you – opened the door and let me in.

That simple act of trust changed everything – EVERYTHING!

In retrospect I honestly believe I would never have the home I lived in, the car I drive or the same love of the family I have as I was on a very dark road leading ever further into even darker territory. You allowed me to step into a place full of light, hope and possibility and I dare say that I’ve thrived!

Because of you I was given the opportunities to improve on the knowledge I had, been afforded amazing experiences (yes, even rats the size of poodles I cherish), and gone to far and exotic destinations like Tzaneen and Roodepoort.

Mr. Jensen,* thank you for your helping hand and seeing something (I still don’t know what) in that interview that led you to hire me and allowed me to become far more than I ever thought I could be.

With all my gratitude,

Gabriel Black.

*All names have been changed to protect the innocent...and the virginity of those involved.

That thing that you do...

…and so the excesses of a pre-Christmas wedding feast, the Christmas feast and the New Years feast drift away as if of smoke. The monotonous routine of administration, acquiring new skills and crippling deadlines has begun its relentless march into the fresh compartment of time – the New Year.

I have souvenirs though, a larger mid-section (in my defence, not as large as it could have been) and a new want of abs, a dull ache of the heart because I miss my wife and daughter (we spent our days in each other’s company) and thankfully a new feeling of vigour and a vague hope that everything planned and wished for will unfold effortlessly.

I’ve learnt much by simple observation of the populace of the above mentioned feasts. I’ve learnt that we can make ourselves ill, physically ill, by not taking cognisance of what we are doing to ourselves. I’ll admit fault here too! This is possibly the first year I’ve ever been completely sober and fully aware of the happenings around me. Previously I’ve always peered through whiskey or beer tinted glasses where everything’s a laugh and excess is the comfortable mattress upon which your mind perpetually rests quaffing bonbons of delightful anecdotes and soft, pink prattle.

This year everything was sharp and horrifying. There was a delightful, large (obese) lady and her overweight husband seated with us at the wedding reception. The reception was held at an ‘all you can eat’ buffet restaurant (and this factual titbit will be relevant shortly). The lady was using a cane to help her walk. Now whether she gained her excessive size because her joints didn’t work correctly or her joints weren’t working correctly because of her excessive size isn’t of concern. What fascinated me was that she’d changed her habits remarkably! Due to the large layout of the restaurant and the various little landings and their stairs, it was rather tedious for her to navigate and procure food. This didn’t hinder her though. Her well trained overweight husband was fetching food for her and all the right kind of foods to keep her in her present state – neigh, aggravate it!

Three bowls of creamy, rich dessert later all brought on her behest by her husband and I managed to tear my eyes away and notice how many of the yet cane-less people were determinedly trying to kill themselves or inflict serious bodily harm upon themselves with food! What an epiphany – we’re accountable to ourselves for what we are and the condition we find ourselves in! No-one made me eat the lasagnes, the desserts and mounds of food that have made me fat, it was my own right hand that fed me one morsel at a time.  

I really need to watch that right hand from now on!