This is me!

Writing your first blog post is daunting. The amount of times I wrote and rewrote this piece is bizarre, I’m a huge advocate for imperfection and authenticity yet I found myself overly concerned with what others would think when they hear I’m writing a blog and all of a sudden I became shy, lacking the confidence to write and put what I have to say out into the world.

Isn’t it crazy how something we feel so passionate about can be hindered by our insecurities?

Nevertheless I conquered my doubt, as well as a bit of procrastination. So just like your average, run-of-the-mill introductory blog post, I’m going to share a little bit of myself and what I’ll be chatting about in posts to come.

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Michelle, I am married to an amazing man called Keith but more importantly and my defining factor, I am a Child of God. I currently live in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. Now that the basics are out of the way, it’s time to skim the top of my multifaceted life.

I have an insatiable love for the African bush, a love that existed since childhood and only once I was out of school did I decide it’s a passion of mine I have to pursue. Over the years provincial hockey ruled my life and played a major role in dictating my decisions, it is only once I turned the ripe old age of 22 that I decided to finally chase my dreams and give heed to my calling. In 2020, a year where not much seemed to happen for most, my husband and I both qualified through FGASA as Apprentice Guides, our first step to one day leading a life in the bush. A part from being qualified we also love travelling through the bush and experiencing all our, not only country, but continent has to offer. We’d love to share all our adventures in the wild, whether they be big and small.

Keith and myself are high school sweet hearts and have been married since 2019. Keith is a professional cricketer and plays for the HollywoodBets Dolphins here in Durban. For the better half of the year I am an army wife, constantly bidding my love farewell and waiting for his triumphant return. Between Keith’s travelling, my own travelling as well as ours collectively, we might as well buy an RV and live life on the road! With that being said though, I wouldn’t change our lives for the world, the opportunities we’ve been afforded and the adventures we’ve been on are unparalleled to most others our age. I love chatting about marriage and how it’s our centripetal force in the world.

As I mentioned, I have a multifaceted life, I sometimes think I’m the equivalent of a one-woman-band. I grew up with a very sporty background as well as growing up for a healthy appreciation for the arts. I played hockey (field hockey for any readers from the other side of the Atlantic) at a high performance level for many years. It’s only recently that I took a step back to pursue other avenues in life and I do still play for enjoyment, I’d like to tell myself it’s not competitive but we all know that will never be the case. In terms of art, I took Dramatic Arts in high school and have always had a deep passion for visual art and writing. As hobbies and pass-times I find myself sketching and painting, but as of recent I’ve begun writing and I’d love to see where that goes.

When it comes to all things ‘lifestyle’ I love both the finer things in life as well as rustic minimalism. Like I have also mentioned above, I strive for authenticity in every avenue of my life, this includes being realistic in all my pursuits as well as in reaching my ideal goals. I keep this mentality for everything in my life, from health and wellness, to outdoor products and all the way through to beauty and skincare. Using as many natural products across the board as possible is very important to me, I try as much as possible to revert back to how we were made to live with enjoying the luxuries of the modern world as well. Supporting local is a concept I hold very close to my heart, I believe in South Africans helping South Africans, and in turn Africans helping Africans. I hope to share with you all my finds that not only add value to my life but as well as adding value to others and as many local businesses as possible.

That’s just me and my life in a nutshell. A fairly short first blog post but I thought short introductions are always the sweetest. So here we go, I hope you enjoy reading about our crazy lives and enjoy following our many adventures. It’s a wonderful life in a wonderful world and I can’t wait to celebrate life with you.