August Anguish

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Clock Of Time Ever Ticking

Very last weekend of the month after one nephew undergoing a double hernia operation another having a kidney removed with tumor, I started to relax ever so little thinking what a month this has been!

Never expected the very last weekend experience to be so devastating, first an extremely long standing friend of the family passed after taking a stroke, this one can expect when reaching her eightieth birthday now in September.

Sucker punched on Sunday learning of my healthy neighbour who has been preparing to run the Comrades marathon since prior forced shutdown in 2020.

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No one knows when our day will arrive, one never expects a strapping young of forty-three years old to succumb during the run.

Are runners too competitive, is living life too fast paced , working, raising a young families, stress after two years excessive uncertainty?

As a family we are no strangers to the race with my husband competing from 1978 to 1993, starting 14, finishing 12 within the 11 hours allocated in earlier years.

Fond memories of friends enjoying the run, when the field was one tenth the number of runners with no seconding tables. More like a picnic on the move, assisting runners to give them drinks or food, personally I think we did more running at the end of the day.

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Running is a healthy sport, many walk or run to reach destinations, sporting fraternity are still in shock with two deaths during this year, since 1920 to 2019 there have been 8 deaths on the day of the race last being in 2012 till 2022.

None can allow time to slip through their fingers, use every minute wisely, as the years add up one realizes some are born to run, many will find time to do much else so long as we make each moment count.

Filling the shoes of a father, being a widow so young is going to be a tough uphill for my lovely neighbours whom I do not believe have had time enough to stop and mourn as a family.

Media has bombarded this normally quiet family not allowing time to accept what has happened, Mzamo was honoured at a memorial service on the 1st September by many work colleagues, running fraternity, friends and family.

In Zulu tradition funeral is taking place today at his family farm, as I write, my thoughts with both families laying a young man to rest, his has run his race now leaving massive shoes to fill.

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Tuesday our friend who missed her big eighty by under a month, we will join online funeral service being held in Cape Town.

Never take life for granted, live it to the full, last weekend is something we wish to evade, knowing it will happen to the end of our days taking knocks in life we have to keep moving forward.

Happy September, now you know why I have been quieter than normal, writing thoughts down helps put everything into perspective.

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All photography is my own using a Canon PowerShot SC730 HS, resized for easier loading, writing is my own.

Thought for Today: "Death is like a dress that, at some point or another, everyone has to wear." - African Proverbs

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56 comments
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None can allow time to slip through their fingers, use every minute wisely
Never take life for granted, live it to the full,
and I shall remind myself to live for others!!!
I am for the loss of the running world and also your friend, @joanstewart.
Take care.
!LADY 😍🌺🤙

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Ultra-marathon running was stopped for two years, this lad was fit really trained massive shock to everyone.

Time is at a premium, always reminding myself how lucky some are to watch the next dawn, enjoy moments many never get to enjoy.

Thanks for token and take care as well.

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Every day, when I wake up, I thank God for this new day. You can never take it for granted, @joanstewart !
!WINE

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When years add up, slowly one realizes how jealously one guards time any every moment becomes special.

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kicking the bucket is the most heartbreaking pain difficult to endure. A pain we wish never existed but sadly it does, we shall all go through it when our respective time comes. Until then let's live every moment especially.

My condolences.

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Adults learn to cope somehow although much aware of time slipping through our own fingers as we get older.

Mzamo's youngest will be 8 this month, it is going to be a very difficult time for all the family being young, facing loss of a father.

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It is so very sad that someone so young & fit loses his life doing something he obviously worked hard towards, a shattered dream for his loved ones!
You are so very right Joan, we need to live life to the fullest, we sadly never know when the last bell tolls.
Praying for your friend🙏🏻💔

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Very good father, exceptionally disciplined in work ethics, physical well being, also assisted with regular braai's to help with cooking, massive blow to this young family.

Be grateful for every day you wake up, enjoy everything, we are all on that timer and know not when.

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There is very famous quote:

Live every day like it is your last day

Maybe because we do not know how much time we have we do not really appreciate it and think that it is us, we are hte main character of life and anyone else but not us.

When I was a child I thought that I am different and maybe have really blue coloured blood because I didnot feel like I am hte same like others. But you can imagine my disappointment when I found that I have normal red blood and also get a viral infection like any other person.

I am sorry to hear about the loses of your friends, those moments we are waking up and start to think about our own time. Glad that you Joan, reminded again how precious our life is.

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Sometimes we have to assess this could be me next, life is a precious gift to make the most with time given.

Thanks for kind words and visiting.

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I'm so sorry to hear about your sad month 😢 It does seem to come and go on waves, I pray that September will be better...

!PIZZA !ALIVE !LUV

This post has been manually curated by the VYB curation project

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Nephews on lives Johannesburg one Durban same week both in hospital at age 48 our youth are taking unseen strain, neither smoke or drink both fit?

Life carries on hope September settles down, thanks for curation and visiting to read.

!LUV

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There's a lot wrong in the world, we can only do our best to stay healthy. My prayers are with you and your family.

!LUV !PIZZA !LOL

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Still have some way to go getting the younger generation feeling better, many inherited problems in health come down through families, only appear later. Thanks for thought and well wishes, as always one day at a time.

!LUV
!WINEX

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Hello @joanstewart,

I'm part of the Silver Bloggers’ Community Team.

Thank you for sharing your excellent post in the Silver Bloggers community! As a special "token" of appreciation for this contribution to our community, it has been upvoted, reblogged and curated.

We are so sorry about these losses, especially your friend and neighbour with a young family!

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Many thanks to the Silver Blogger team, go well through the new month ahead.

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We never know what life will bring. I knew a great runner who was fit as a fiddle and passed away in his early 40s, a complete shock to everyone.
The media, why can't they let people be to grieve in peace...
My grandfather when he was on the way with cancer told me, to cherish life and live each day like it is our last.
Here is to a better September Joan🤗

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Age and fit young men all came as a shock especially the neighbour, no one knows when death will cut a life short even in fitness and health outwardly.

Media are like vultures circling for "news" even in the church with video running, something I do not accept, surely leave a community to mourn without trying to put a 'spin' during sad event.

Cancer has taken many within our family the youngest being 20, one is constantly reminded our time is limited, a gift every day we open our eyes to a new dawn.

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Life is short they say but it is always painful when someone so young and healthy leaves, more so when abruptly. But he probably finished his race... My sincerest condolences...

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It is those left behind to find a way forward, next generation of young ones only starting life with such a blow to deal with. Thanks for your thoughts and wishes.

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That is really saddening but I believe with the grace of the heavens and the people who care that are around them, they will get through this tough time...

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It is unbelievable what happened to you this week, I hope you can soon overcome this pain.

In the last few months I have been challenging myself with physical activity and I do it where there are a lot of runners, I see how much they push themselves every day not to fall behind in the race.

There is a man who has been like my teacher, he must be over 70 years old, but he runs just like the 30 and 40 year olds.

Yesterday I went to a dance therapy and there was a man who danced more than us young people, he showed joy, but when they asked him how old he was, he told us: "The one you give me according to my attitude".

That's why we should live our life as we like, because we don't know how long it can last.

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We keep moving forward, those who enjoy running or testing their limits is admirable, not something I did, but fully understand.

Deriving full extent of what we find pleasurable, some enjoy longevity others don't we have to accept whatever will be.

!WINEX

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Hello dear friend @joanstewart good day
I'm so sorry for everything you've had to go through.
Wise advice, live every second and enjoy every day of our lives to the fullest
happy september to you too

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Life happens, thanks for visiting and kind words, somethings we cannot change.

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Yes, so shocking and hard to grapple — loss of family members and friends. My heart goes out to the young neighbor and his family. The media must leave them in peace to grieve and come to terms with their loss. Thank you for commiserating with me on the loss I experienced recently too. These things are so hard. But they do help us to remember to live in the present and enjoy today.

Never take life for granted, live it to the full, last weekend is something we wish to evade, knowing it will happen to the end of our days taking knocks in life we have to keep moving forward.

Well said, @joanstewart.

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We never really accept, time does not heal, only allows us to try navigate life without the person.

No child should lose a parent so young, no parent should lose a young child, yet with life we have no say it is random.

Take care and stay strong, thanks for reaching out.

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I have much to say about this story and about how we should treasure every moment

How we try to learn to lo
Ive but never learn how to really do that because we completely forget that we are going to die ...

How these things that you've experienced bring home to us how precious life is...

And precarious...

But more to just send you a warm virtual hug around about now ❤️

A big hug 💔

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Thanks for virtual hug, life and death not fully understood, so will stick to enjoying each moment.

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I hear you. I don't think one can ever fully understand such things.

I've learned to accept things as they are. In full. And to understand only that everything passes...

This has eased the painful times for me immensely. And made me appreciate the joyful moments more.

Grief is a part of it. Not my best part of life but something we all experience at some point and more than once, I guess.

Take it easy. And remember you're not alone.

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Never take life for granted, live it to the full, last weekend is something we wish to evade, knowing it will happen to the end of our days taking knocks in life we have to keep moving forward.

Yep, never ever take life for granted but there are times that you just want time to slip through your fingers especially when life is getting too tough

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Take a deep breath and enjoy what is directly in your life right now, we tend to worry about tomorrow, yet tomorrow may never come.

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not really worried about tomorrow... actually I'm not waiting for tomorrow anymore

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Thanks for updates, did not make PUD this time with life happening....

Have a wonderful month of September, Spring has sprung down South.

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