The World According To Leo

Yesterday I found a box in a cupboard marked “For Storage – America 2001”. I took the box off the shelf, dusted it off and realized that I hadn’t seen the content of this box in nearly 13 years.   Like an excited child on Christmas morning, I ripped off the packing tape, opened the top of the box and a flood of memories filled my head, taking me back to 2001 when at the age of 19 I took a big brave step to go and explore America. I found my plane ticket to New York, a book with names of people I met during this time, some photos, a subway pass, another plane ticket to LA… and then the callsheet and production notes from the first movie I ever worked on. Digging deeper in the box, I found a love letter, a copy of the Hollywood reporter, an Oscar statue a friend gave me and a copy of the Los Angeles Times with the 9/11 tragedy printed on the front page. Suddenly my original dream came back and confront...

Every once in a while, we meet people. People we connect with. Form friendships with. Share experiences with. Share stories with and create memories with. Photos end up on social media. On my fridge. On my staircase wall. Cherished moments. But then, like most things in life, sometimes these friendships come - unbeknownst to us – with expiry dates. I was a little apprehensive about writing this story, but again, like many of my blog posts before, so many people can relate to them. So, here I am, telling another personal story. One of the most insightful things I’ve learned is that the saying “People come into your life for a reason, season or lifetime” is nothing but the truth. In recent months I’ve allowed new people into my life. I’ve shared experiences with them, created memories with them and when the time came, I graciously allowed them to exit my life when their purpose was served. One of the thin...

Very often, we think of possible future scenarios we might find ourselves in and then think about how we would react when that moment happened in real life. Shy of just over a year ago, i went through quite a devastating break-up and spent a lot of time processing it all - because i wanted to deal with it properly. A large part of dealing with it, was through writing about it - so if you've stumbled across my blog befofe, you'd be familiar with some of the content. During this time, i would occasionally think about how i would react if i ever had to run into my ex- or his illicit lover - yes, the guy he cheated on me with. Johannesburg is a big place.  Since the day i walked out of that house, I have never bumped into my ex anywhere. We also move in different circles and live in (very) different neighbourhoods so the changes seemed slim, but there is always still a possibility. And even though a Joburg is a big place, the inevitable was bound to happen at some point. And that ...

In the end, only three things matter.

Healing a broken heart is one of the most difficult tasks to do sometimes. Some people have this ability to move from one relationship to the next without that “recovery period” - where others take weeks or months or even years to get over someone. I chose very early on in my recovery process that i will take it day by day: i wont rush it but i wont drag it out either. One moment you’re sad, the next incredibly happy - and then… then there are those moments of contentedness. The moment where everything is just fine. You’re not sad. You’re not unhappy. You’re relaxed, at ease, satisfied. Right now i am content. I have so many inspirational people that i surround myself with at the moment. Do that! Surround yourself with positive, inspirational people. Remove the negative soul-draining leeches from your life. Do what makes YOU happy! “Walk with the dreamers, the believers, the courageous, the cheerful, the planners, the doers, the successful people with their heads i...

There comes a time in your life when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh. Forget the bad and focus on the good. Love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don’t. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living!

I havent written in a while… I’ve been busy. But i have so much on my mind that tonight i felt the need to write something again. I felt the need to tell the world how grateful i am to be me. Here i am, sitting outside on my patio… Candles burning in hanging lanterns and on the bistro table i’m sitting at, the light of a citronella lanterns flickers away the possibility of any mosquito coming near me. We all dread those little fuckers… The sound of the night is accompanied with a soft piece of opera - O Mio Babbino Caro - playing in the background. All else is quiet. So is my mind. Those anxious, sad, angry, upset feelings that i felt a few months ago are gone. I now feel content. I now feel what i’ve been telling myself all along - “It will get better”. And it does. Yes, i still have moments where i think of you but they’re getting fewer and further apart. Is this what ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ does? One moment you were my world. The next moment, BAM! In ...