The hype – the huff puff to prepare for the long awaited extended weekend festive holidays – how exhilarating!!! With best dishes coming out of long storage, and shopping trolleys rattling along the isles filling up with luxury items that are reserved for family gatherings. The traumas of yesterday and yesteryears becomes long forgotten. Hair wash days, spring cleaning and the smell of freshly baked delicacies – Yes! For sure family fun days are here once again!
And then they arrive – car doors banging shut, lots of excited voices entering the once peaceful home and the day has just begun. So why is it that we always experience that momentary stifling feeling? Is it because we somehow catch a hint of a scent of past dramas in the air – and that is how all holiday dramas begin? Each one pairing with their favorite conversationists, and kids piling together in a room to collapse on the large double bed – lots of screaming and hooting laughter fills the air.
Somewhere someone is screaming for the braai stand to be brought out and amidst the elders catch up on cutting-edge gossip – There is always a drama looming waiting to spring on the festive hearts and coffee cups ready for washing. You know the drama – it starts of as a cheesy issue – and builds into a horrendous tangle of “he said”, “she said”, and ends with “I want to have nothing to do with this issue…” always spoken by the one who probably started the drama in the first place – and be sure of this fact that even if he did not start it – he definitely set it alight pushing it to the ultimate family splitting life threatening performance hosting both tragedy and an indication of spectacular cyclic disaster – So where do you fit in?
Are you the one standing in the side-line shaking your head from side to side – taking the side of anyone who even glances at you for support? Or are you the one prancing in the centre of the drama reliving every moment so that the others miss nothing of the already tangled documentary series families live out every time they try to get together for another one of their side-splitting, hair raising weekends. I personally wait for the fat lady to sing before bringing the whole drama to a grand finale – Be quick and smart enough to put on the kettle and bring on the delicacies and desserts – Now that’s the drama we all want to be a part of. You probably recognise this scene. Where the younger generations gather together to run to kitchen amidst all giggles. Plotting and planning how they will patch up the moment just so that they can get a few more moments of life bonding tete-a-tete trying to avoid the ice-cream spilled on the floor by the families last borne.
Sounds all too familiar neh! So…. How to end a drama? Whilst delicacies and desserts brings the tears to a standstill, shrinking tempers to the size of a tot, lets freeze and focus on the drama waiting to unfold on the drive back. If you don’t want to hear the whole story again, minion style – then grab this one liner and shoot for the bull in the eye. Tell them dramas are a part of life and the quicker they can get over it the faster they can get together to create more memories. Thing is… the most beautiful things in life are not just things…. They’re people and places – memories and pictures – happiness represented in heart felt feelings and many, many moments of smiles and laughter. So… here’s to all those Sufi souls – who always remember to bring the desserts! Stay blessed through all dramas. Regardless of what they will say – all dramas will come to an end. And nogal definitely before the next long weekend!