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Kosie van Zyl, living the lekker life on Buffeljags Dam

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On a ribbon of dirt road on the banks of the Buffeljags Dam, just outside Swellendam in the Overberg, Kosie van Zyl settles into his three-wheeled flying machine and presses the starter. The two-stroke engine thrums into life, the propeller spinning into a blur. A short run-up and the microlight noses into the blue, a

Gus Silber

Dear moms, don’t worry so much about what the momfluencers say!

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Parenting is a happier process when you focus on the things that really matter.

Nicole Chowles

Judith Balie, custodian of the living past in Genadendal’s Valley of Grace

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In the shade of an old pear tree in a garden in Genadendal, the Valley of Grace, Judith Balie sits in the stillness of memory. Birdsong and the rustle of leaves accompany her thoughts as she settles onto the four-sided wooden bench that frames the weathered trunk. It’s her church of nature, her place of

Gus Silber

How I learned to quit my people-pleasing ways

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Why has it been such a hard habit to break?

Jocelyn Newmarch

I’m learning to build better boundaries that help me heal

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Choosing who to let into your life is hard but necessary work.

Poppy Louw

What Maya’s burnt banana muffins taught me about boundaries

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How I drew the line and kept the peace in the kitchen.

Jonathan Ancer

What I learned from Ivy, the neighbour who crossed a line

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She helped me understand the value of boundaries.

Pat Mason

What I learned about my temper from the letter my mother left me

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I’m finally figuring out a kinder, more polite way to say no.

Charmain Naidoo

What I learned from my children about taking a Mental Health Day

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I may be as old as time, but I’m never too old to know that I should know better.

Janine Dunlop

I’ll never forget the teacher’s words that changed my life

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In making me doubt myself, he made me determined to prove him wrong.

Cathy Park Kelly

Rrrr! How I conquered the single letter that almost ruined my life

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It’s never too late to speak up, speak out, and discover your voice.

Njabulo Mthombeni

Why I’m finally feeling brave enough to stare 40 in the face

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Life looks a lot different when you dare to shift your focus.

Samantha Steele

Yes, you can teach an old upward dog new tricks

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How I miraculously survived my first ever session of hot yoga.

Jonathan Ancer

Love is a congregation of the heart

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A glimpse of a festive gathering was enough to draw me into the community I needed.

Pat Mason

Love is a bookmark of pressed flowers and lace

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It’s only now that I can understand the true meaning of my grandmother’s gentle gift.

Leo Kok

The 12-step journey that led me to true and imperfect love

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Love isn’t about finding The One. It’s about weaving together the fractions that make us whole.

Sean O'Connor

Why I blame Jerry Seinfeld for my relationship flops

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He put the nada nada nada into my yada yada yada.

Jonathan Ancer

How I learned the truth about love in the Blue Forest

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Love has taught me that the heart that breaks is also the heart that can mend.

Elzé van Achterbergh

The nine modern commandments of love

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A selection of thou shalts and thou shalt nots to help you smooth the ways of love.

Jonathan Ancer

How I finally met that someone I’ve been waiting for all my life

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Sometimes, in our quest for love, we miss the real love story.

Poppy Louw

The three little secrets to being Jessica Fletcher

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What I learned from watching TV’s smartest amateur detective.

Sharon Paine

The TV show that mirrors the many seasons of my life

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What I’ve learned about myself and my relationships from watching Insecure.

Nonkululeko Britton

What rom-coms get wrong about love, sweet love

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Real love is a lot more complicated than the meet cute and the happy ending.

Mandy Collins

What I learned about my mental health from my best ever holiday

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It wasn’t so much a break, as a much-needed recovery from a breakdown.

Rochelle Barrish

All I want for Christmas is a holiday in 1985

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Wouldn’t it be nice to travel back in time, to a quieter time?

Sarah Rice

The “a-maize-ing” race that changed my cycle of life

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It was agony, uphill and downhill, but it gave me the courage to face the unknown.

Jonathan Ancer

How my Gogo’s hands taught me to be who I am

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The little tasks she gave me as a child prepared me for life.

Njabulo Mthombeni

Here’s to the little girl who dollies up my Sunday braai

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Being a dad has taught me how to be a better man.

Leo Kok

37 years after school, I’m still unlearning how to be a man

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Toxic masculinity wasn’t on the curriculum, but it was an everyday part of our lives.

Jonathan Ancer

The things I’ve learnt about myself from living alone

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Being alone doesn’t have to be the same as being lonely.

Sean O'Connor

I wish I’d been brave enough to disappoint my family

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Sometimes, you need to put your own dreams first.

Liziwe Ndalana

I coulda, shoulda gone to Tuscany, but it’s never too late

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Life is all about learning to say yes to the things you once said no to.

Pat Mason

The best revenge is ticking off the dreams on your wish list

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And sometimes the best revenge is revenge, but that’s going to have to wait.

Tamsin Oxford

Yes, it’s time to click and twist my tongue around isiXhosa again

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It’s never too late to learn the languages that make you feel at home.

Jonathan Ancer

Au Revoir, Paris, je ne regrette rien

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I dreamed of a new life in Paris, but back home, I regret nothing.

Cathy Park Kelly

Why giving up drinking has given me permission to dream again

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At 40, I want to catch up with what I hoped I could do in my 20s.

Meg Orton

Here’s to the giggling little human who changed my life

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It was a risky pregnancy, but it brought me hope and joy.

Sharon Paine

The gala occasion that taught me to look on the bright side

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Sometimes, it takes a seven-year-old to teach us the true meaning of life.

Jonathan Ancer

My life as a castaway, waiting for the tide to turn

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Even in the worst of times, there’s always tomorrow.

Janine Dunlop

The lesson the desert cactus can teach us about reclaiming our joy

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It was a sharp and unexpected truth that emerged from a late-night call.

Njabulo Mthombeni

Why joy should be a basic human right

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It took a line from a poem to make me realise that no one deserves to be denied joy.

Jocelyn Newmarch

I love it when a plan falls apart

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Sometimes, being a radical optimist means embracing Plan B.

Sean O'Connor

Watch out world, I’m back and under new management!

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I’ve learned what it takes to pick up the pieces and put my broken life together.

Rochelle Barrish

Hey, 22-year-old me, just wait till you see your future self!

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A letter to remind myself that my best is yet to come.

Nonkululeko Britton

Brave Nan, who stood up to a bullying sergeant

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She was a hero who taught me the power of defiance.

Jonathan Ancer

The radical haircut that made me feel like me

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Cutting off my long blonde locks was the self-revolution I needed.

Elzé van Achterbergh

Fail better! My mantra for becoming phenomenal me

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I’ve still got a way to go, but I’m getting there.

Charmain Naidoo

The things I learned about people from running our Fawlty Airbnb

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From wild bachelors to an elderly hippy, our guests taught me a lot about human nature.

Bev van der Bijl

Can you really manifest money from thin air?

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The answer is no, but it might make money more fun to think about.

Pat Mason

Losing my job was what I needed to find the brand-new me

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I just wish I’d learned the lessons sooner.

Capo Cassidy

Why it’s tougher than ever to be a freelancer in the age of AI

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Then again, I don’t miss being tethered by the constraints of a regular paycheque.

Sean O'Connor

What I learnt about money from the great Rasta Pasta disaster

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And why my next great idea is selling ice cream in the Karoo.

Jonathan Ancer

The tough talk about money that helped me get my life in gear

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And now, my driving dream is coming true.

Pamela Madonsela

The sudden, upside-down moment that tore my life in two

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Through my two selves, I’m learning to process life anew.

Elzé van Achterbergh

My fight to be a human being, not just a human doing

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I know who I am, but who am I, really?

Noah Evans

Losing my job was the key to finding the new me

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How I learned to rewrite the story of who I am.

Pat Mason

Sorry, sir, you must have mistaken me for a pensioner!

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My knees may be creaky, but I identify as 20-something.

Jonathan Ancer

My bittersweet return to the workplace that fired me

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I’m fired up by the chance to start all over again.

Poppy Louw

Why I’m so grateful to be leaving Cape Town

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I love the city, but a world of fresh opportunities awaits.

Capo Cassidy

The day I said thank you to a wild acacia tree

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Trees are living, intelligent beings with lessons to teach our species.

Elzé van Achterbergh

Cheers to the ‘can of the best’ that saved my daughter’s life

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Bound by blood, I give freely of mine in thanks.

Jonathan Ancer

How I discovered the deep, healing joy of a cold-water sunrise swim

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In the icy embrace of the waves, you can feel the turning of the tide.

Janine Dunlop

At 41, I’m wildly grateful for my precious, high-risk pregnancy

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Two weeks away from my c-section date, my baby boy is moving around in my belly.I feel like I’m being stretched in multiple directions as he shifts to find a comfortable position.That position seems to be horizontal, like he’s casually tanning on a beach. My pelvis aches.I ate a reasonable portion of dinner, and now

Sharon Paine

Every day, I count the blessings of being middle-aged me

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The older I get, the more I forgive myself for who I was and what I did.

Sean O'Connor

Molly, the beloved dog who bridged the generation gap

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She was a gift to our grandfather, and in time, she became a gift to us all.

Pamela Madonsela

Oh, how I yearn for the life of a tradwife!

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I’ve got the chickens and the toddlers. Now where do I get the apron?

Samantha Steele

My little-brained Lola, the dog who loves every human equally

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She may not be the smartest creature, but as a canine therapist, she is top class.

Tamsin Oxford

Raising Rico, the bundle of dandelion fluff who is destined to guide

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He’s got a hardworking life ahead of him, but for now, he’s my bounding companion.

Roshina Ratnam

Goodbye Cutie, the Khayelitsha stray who stole my heart

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She was squint and looked like Gollum, but she became a huntress of the forest.

Brian Bergman

Zardoz, the brave pup who saved me from myself

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He became my shadow and my light when I needed it most.

Jonathan Ancer

When alcohol left me adrift, yoga became my lifeline

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I traded the bottle for the mat, and I’ve never felt more alive.

Capo Cassidy

In the heartache of a beloved teacher gone too soon, I see a lesson for myself

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Do we take enough time, while caring for others, to care for ourselves?

Jocelyn Newmarch

Here’s to the moments of everyday wonder that tingle my senses

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Open your eyes, and your heart and mind will follow.

Cathy Park Kelly

The house that haunts my dreams of starting over

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In a labyrinth in the heart of a garden, I found a new purpose.

Cheryl Damon

How a little act of rebellion made me wake up and smell the onions

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My senses came alive anew when I chose to put my phone aside.

Mandy Collins

7 little sparks of joy that make my day

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From birdsong to forest-bathing to the Beatles, a checklist of happy moments.

Jonathan Ancer

The stranger who shocked me into thinking twice about the meaning of love

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I thought I knew what it meant to love and be loved. Was I wrong?

Sarah Rice

The greatest lesson I learned about the meaning of life from a grumpy old man

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He carried a stick and wore a scowl, but he knew the true secret of happiness.

Jonathan Ancer

What I learned about love from my season of self-preservation

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It was a Christmas epiphany that changed my life.

Nonkululeko Britton

At 55, I’m fabulously single and happy for those I have loved

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I now know that the secret of love is learning to let go of love.

Sean O'Connor

The bittersweet freedom of the day when your child leaves home

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Finding themselves means leaving you behind.

Tamsin Oxford

How I learned to make peace with my mother’s secret shame

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Healing begins when we shine a light on the hidden shadows.

Jocelyn Newmarch

Why I’ve decided to kick my loyalty habit for good

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But not until I get the free frozen yoghurt I deserve.

Jonathan Ancer

This year, I’m going to be the gardener of my dreams

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It’s time to put what I’ve learned about Ikigai into practice.

Nonkululeko Britton

I’m finally getting rid of the guilt I feel for being a golden child

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Before I can help my family, I need to help myself.

Liziwe Ndalana

Put down that phone, and step back slowly!

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Yes, I’m ready at last for my great digital detox.

Capo Cassidy

The seven ways I’m detoxing my brain in 2025

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It’s time to make the big changes I need to be the real me.

Mandy Collins

Here’s to 2025, the Year of Staying Alive

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A new year begins with the lessons of the old

Pamela Madonsela

How I found the recipe for the perfect family Christmas

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At this special time of year, a hearty meal is the symbol of families brought together in love and celebration.

Liziwe Ndalana

How to give yourself the gift of a cheap and cheerful Christmas

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The best way to spend the festive season is not to spend too much.

Cath Jenkin

The four ways I’m changing my mood this festive season

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There are ways to make the holiday season the best time of the year.

Sean O'Connor

In my now-or-never year, I’m finally ready to be a mom

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Life is a great adventure when a new life is on the way.

Sharon Paine

The weird things the songs in my head keep telling me about life and love

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You can learn a lot by listening to your inner music.

Sarah Rice

The hit song that opened my soul to the power of being a woman

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I was in my teens when I first heard it, and it changed me forever.

Cheryl Damon

House is where the heartbeat is

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My love affair with the mesmerising beat of South African House music.

Molebogeng Mangoale

Cracking the secret code of Hallelujah, Leonard Cohen’s hymn for the broken-hearted

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It’s the song that makes the world go round, but what does it really mean?

Gus Silber

Here’s to the gender-bending heroes who set me free to be me

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It wasn’t just their music that changed my life.

Capo Cassidy

I don’t want to Bragg, but I got a “hi” from Billy!

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His music spoke to me, so all I wanted to do was speak to him.

Jonathan Ancer

How the old Holy Man of rock ‘n roll wrote my back pages

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Reliving the memory of seeing Dylan for the first time still brings a tear to my eye.

Sean O'Connor

The life lessons you learn when your layer cake flops

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Yes, you can have your cake and eat it too, but first you’ve got to bake it.

Jocelyn Newmarch