La Rochelle 2021

L A R R I E S S AY FA R E W E L L

you can’t have both. God’s strength will come to you when you need it – not before. And that is where the trust part comes in. As to my second resolution of Wabi- sabi or focussing on the positive. I recently had a long conversation with my husband about where we are in our lives and why things happen the way they do. It got me thinking about the Butterfly effect . Have any of you ever you heard of this principle? You probably think it’s just a cool movie with Ashton Kutcher playing one of the only serious roles he has ever tried to do, but do you understand the principle? Well, it is one of the principles within Chaos Theory (which I love) – look it up! Basical ly, the Butterf ly ef fect describes the idea that small changes can have big impacts in the future . For example, if a Butterfly flaps its wings on the East side of the planet, who’s to say that this does not cause small changes in air pressure that gains enough momentum to generate a hurricane on the other side of the planet? You only have to watch ONE Quinton Tarantino film to experience the idea of the Butterfly effect! A choice is not just a choice . Every choice has far-reaching implications that we may not even be aware of. An asteroid hurtling through space 65 million years ago was gently, subtly nudged into a collision course with Earth as it hit meteor, after meteor on its journey. Its trajectory changed ever so slightly every time until it was full on heading for planet Earth. This massive impact killed the dinosaurs and paved the way for another species to take centre stage i.e. mammals and this is but one example. Now think about your life. The people you’ve met. Maybe you met

them at just the right time. How are the choices you made long ago still affecting your life today? I learned this principle many years ago, but one often needs to re-learn things you already know, because learning is fluid, just like living is fluid. We are constantly changing (because the only constant in life is change!). The meaning of these things we learned way back when renew themselves in our lives over and over. They take on more meaning, different meanings in different times of our lives. Thinking about where I am today, thinking about that WhatsApp from Miss Lochner, the choices I made to be there and now here, I come to the realization that all of it was actually perfect . And I have news for you Larries: You are perfect . And don’t misun- derstand the word perfection here. It should not be interpreted as the “perfect” we use in everyday lan- guage. This is a “spiritual perfection” because it does not mean that you are not flawed. It means that you are exactly who you need to be , who you are supposed to be , where you are supposed to be right here, right now in this very moment of your life. Every choice you have ever made in your entire life has brought you to this very moment in time listening to me in this very hall, because you needed someone to tell you: you are perfect . Your choices have brought you here today, but they may not all have been optimal choices. The great thing about this is that it embodies the very nature of a choice: it can change! There are always more choices to make. Choosing to take to heart what I tell you here today is one of them or choosing to forget it.

When you think about your life in this way then it also sets you free of regret . Because to regret would mean not being who you are right now. It would undo your perfection and also the purpose of all the choices you have made in your life up until this moment in time. Therefore: Never regret. Just choose better next time. Focus on the good that comes from your choices. Which is YOU: a constantly creating being. Changing and moulding and choosing who you are through life. We are after all “human beings” not “human doings.” You need to stay. And you need to stay loudly . You’re afraid of making bad choices, but the truth is this: the tiniest actions will influence the course of the rest of your life and you cannot control it. So many factors play a part in you being here today: a delayed train, an extra cup of tea, the number of seconds your parents took to cross a street. This is chaos theory. Sensitivity. Mathematics. You are here. And every choice you ever made has led you to right now, hearing this . While you exist, every movement and moment matters; those bad choices led you the best days of your life, if you were to play it all in rewind. So let them go. Change will come. Even is you’re standing still . Butterflies will keep flapping their wings and causing hurricanes. So, make your choices and make them loudly. Trust your gut. Trust energy. And if you ceased to exist? Of course, the universe would notice. The mess that would make! The hearts that would break. So just stay. Stay for the bad choices. Stay for the great ones . Stay. Cause a few hurricanes.” Mariechen Vermeulen

Liefste Larrie-familie Baie dankie vir vier ongelooflike jare. My hart loop oor. Ons het trane van hartseer en blydskap gedeel en soms was ons ook minder lief vir mekaar! Maar ek sal ons flou grappies en baie somme maak in kamer 25 mis. Julle het verskriklik diep in my hart gekruip, elk met julle unieke persoonlikhede. Dit was vir my so lekker om julle te sien groei en ontwikkel as jong dames. Soos ek altyd sê, net julle raak ouer! (; Ek wens vir julle voorspoed en seën toe (en dalk iewers ’n afperiode). My matrieks van 2022 – sterkte met julle jaar, ek is in gees met elkeen van julle! Al my liefde, TS.

Me. Tiffany Schwegmann.

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