Dreams don’t have deadlines ~ L.L. Cool J
Whenever I inhale the caramelly notes of Rooibos tea, I’m transported to Johannesburg — to thirty years ago when I would grab a teabag from a box of ‘Freshpak’ in my kitchen cupboard and steep it, just as I would a cup of 'Red Rose' in Canada. I knew little about Rooibos then, only that it was a South African drink…. that’s pretty much it.
I've read about the olfactory system; because its next to our brain’s memory and emotion centres, smell triggers memories more strongly than the other senses. I've never stopped drinking Rooibos; every time I imbibe the earthy brew, memories of a transformational year I spent working in Johannesburg flood back. It’s not images as much as emotions that infuse me —heightened feelings that were steeped in a time and place when so much was at stake – where I learned a lot about myself and the country as I was pushed way outside of my comfort zone. I get it, this sounds a bit ridiculous — that all this comes from a cup of tea — yet the feeling of nostalgia is unmatched.
Last year I took a moon shot and submitted a pitch (that would take me back to South Africa) to a magazine I'd dreamt of writing for – and I landed it. In February of this year, on assignment for Travel + Leisure Magazine, I travelled to explore the roots of Rooibos in the Cederberg Mountains of the Western Cape.
I’ve said many times that I can be happy anywhere in the world if I’m on assignment; if I"m connected to people, their culture... if I'm learning. Paradoxically this is when I feel ‘at home’ in the world. This trip, though, this particular assignment, came at the right time, it came when I could appreciate it the most — it was a dream come true.
My piece is in the Dec/Jan double issue of T+L, which may take awhile to reach me with the recent postal strike but it'll be worth the wait! I have a clipping from the T+L app but nothing beats reading your own words in a printed magazine! Huge thank-you to Travel + Leisure, a special thank-you to Sanet Stander of Rooibos Route for showing me around, and to Bushman's Kloof Wilderness Reserve and Wellness Retreat for a most remarkable stay.
Read a revised version of my original article, written for Travel + Leisure print, on T+L's digital site here:
Comments