At the time of writing, it has been 48 hours that most of my town has been without water. I have checked the level of our supply source and at more than 90% full, it’s unlikely that a lack of water is the reason for the cut. Rather, I suspect that years of mismanagement have…
Author: Tessa van Niekerk
I am a firm believer in the power of Free Will, and the Karma resulting from exercising that power. I am a horrible employee and an even worse boss, so I choose to be neither. I am a dreamer, mostly doing so when I am awake. I suffer from analysis paralysis on a regular basis, tend to procrastinate until the eleventh hour, and would rather be reading than doing anything else. My drug of choice is caffeine and I indulge on a regular basis.
Decluttering bit by bit. Baby Steps towards Mental Wellness
Decluttering my mind starts with decluttering my environment, and that means that I need to create new habits. Or at least revive old ones. I did a thing today. It wasn’t a big thing, by humanity’s standards, but it was still SOMETHING. And I did it all by myself! Before I start sounding too much…
Happy and knowing it…
After many years, I have finally picked up the courage to see a mental health professional. Frankly, I would not have done it if not for something that someone mentioned about their “psychiatric benefits” on their medical aid being depleted. (Their daughter has all kinds of issues!) Then I realized that not only did I…
Of orcs and sticky red tape…
I am irritated with life in general. And my goal of going to Ukraine feels like “One Step Forward, Two Steps Back” right now. It’s like when I first did my Big Hairy Audacious Goal layout for my backyard farm (the Ukrainian version). To meet the goal, you need to take step A. To be…
When the “Ya, buts” start weighing you down.
I’m in a horrible place. It’s that place at the very edge of my comfort zone where I know I am about to make something of my life and where everyone I know and love (and who loves me) tries to pull me back in. Crabs and buckets… The worst is that I fully understand…
Why would anyone buy a rescue property in a war-torn country?
When I tell people that I want to buy property in Ukraine and move there as soon as the war is over, they look at me with a strange expression, as if they are unsure of the polite way to tell me that I have completely lost my marbles. Then I show them the photographs!…
The hidden costs of purchasing a property in Ukraine
Many years ago, I was in a car with some friends. One of the ladies worked as an accountant at a mining company and she made a remark that I still remember. She said: “Most young people buy property and they think that the purchase price is the real amount. They don’t figure in the…
Property photographs and gut feelings
I spent most of yesterday making sums. And the more I think about it, the more that old wooden house and barn seem like a very good idea. Most of the older brick houses (that I can easily afford) look as if they were designed by the same short person (around 7 years old, methinks!),…
Midyear update, a day late, and gradually slimming down!
Yesterday was the twenty-first of June, the day of the summer/winter solstice. I don’t celebrate it in any way, but it’s nice to know that the sun will be up a bit longer every day from now on until December! I haven’t posted much on my journey toward gaining slim. At the beginning of this…
Moving to Ukraine – now, the REAL WORK begins!
Good news! The documents have safely arrived at my lawyer’s office in Kyiv! It took exactly one week for the envelope to travel from me to the other side of the planet! That is incredibly fast, considering that Kyiv is the capital city of a country at war! Now, the real work begins. The attorney…