Traveling Psychologist Blog
Date: November 23, 2021
Location: Cape Town, South Africa

At the top of Lion’s Head during a morning hike.

Nat, one of the many friends I met here in Cape Town, taught me a phrase used by the locals… “don’t be kok, be lekker!” To translate for the non-Capetonians, “kok” refers to something bad, not good, displeasing. “Lekker” are those things that are good, preferred, and likable.

I have been in Cape Town now for 2 ½ weeks and have experienced SO many amazing things and met some fantastic people. I believe we all need to experience different cultures and people to not only appreciate what we have and how we live, but to open our minds to new ways of being.

Let’s face it, the United States has become a very polarized country in the last couple of years and to say that I am not proud of how Americans have behaved is an understatement.  Does every country have their issues, of course. But as I sit here in Cape Town, I notice young people working behind counters actually doing their job well and not sitting around on their phones; I see people wearing their masks in public and in stores not complaining about it; I see people taking care of each other by offering the homeless their “take away” from the meal they just had at the local restaurant; I witness the people preserving water and electricity by participating in load shedding and being vigilant about their water consumption… I see community and people caring about more than just themselves!

The Scone Shack…a local coffee shop that offers a home to stray farm animals, dogs, cats, etc. Nothing like having coffee with a pig roaming at your feet! 🙂

Cape Town offers amazing views and the best wine I have ever tasted, but beyond that it offers me hope for humanity. Hope that we will one day remember that we are all in this together and that the only way we are all going to make it is if we see beyond our skin color, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and religious views. To truly be “lekker” we need to see the human in each other again and treat each and every person as if they are our brother and sister.

My new friend Nazreen and I after we made 15 dozen chocolate chip cookies (My Mom’s secret recipe!) for the St. Anne’s local orphanage.

How will you be lekker today?

Dr. Chris

Traveling Psychologist Blog
Date: November 6, 2021
Location: Cape Town, South Africa

YOU HAVE TO LOOK FOR YOUR LIFE

For those of you who know me and have followed me for awhile you are aware that I am an avid world-traveler. Like many of us, I have had to put many travel plans on hold during the last year and a half due to a “nasty bug” called COVID. During that time, I have experienced several emotions and thoughts that manifested something like this:

• It started as a much needed moment to catch my breath from the chaos of the fast-paced life I had created
• Which turned into a sense of inspiration to get more done
• Which lead to a realization that life is not about “doing, but being”
• “Being” was great for a few months then it turned into “I have to get out of this apartment!”
• The need to flee and not being able to lead to sporadic feelings of loneliness
• This loneliness manifested in my work as a “dulling of my spark”
• Procrastination set in…
• Chocolate, wine, and Netflix ensued…
• Now I find myself feeling as if my life is lacking “spark” and that was when I decided to “recharge”

We all need to know what re-lights our fire during those times we feel down and not ourselves. I tend to turn to music, travel, and writing (not to diminish the wine and chocolate!). These things raise our vibration, recenter our energy, and ground us again. I have always remembered a quote from Julie Andrews in “The Sound of Music” where she said, “You have to look for your life!” Since I have been feeling as if my life is stagnant lately, I decided to go look for my life.

I am blessed with a business that is 100% portable and remote, so I decided that I was going to work overseas for a couple of months in November and December. Although my original plan was to spend 4 months in Asia, the delta variant contaminated (pun intended) that plan and I ended up deciding to spend November in Cape Town, South Africa to start.

The last time I was in Cape Town was in 2009 (see my previous blogs during this time) and I was here doing a variety of workshops for SANBS (South African National Blood Society). I believe we are drawn to people and places and for reasons yet unknown, I was drawn to come back to Cape Town. After two very long plane rides (one of which had 6 screaming infants!), a very well-packed suitcase, 3 anxiety attacks, and convincing my 8-year old grandson that yes, Mimi will be coming back…I sit here now in my room looking out my open window at Table Mountain, listening to crowds cheering excitedly in the distance from the local rugby game and can truly say the journey has begun again….

Where do you want to start looking for your life?

Hamba kahle (Good-bye in Zulu),

Dr. Chris