Do Something Remarkable!

“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” ~ Nelson Mandela

Do Something Remarkable. That is the slogan of the Western Province Blood Transfusion Service, a non-profit, independent organisation operating throughout the Western Cape. They supply safe blood and blood products to all communities in the region, from Cape Town all the way up to George.

On Friday, I finally got to donate blood for the very first time.

It certainly doesn’t feel like you are doing something remarkable, in fact it’s a wonderful time to lie back in their lounger chairs and just breathe and stop for a moment in life’s busyness. It is as you sit there, your blood running through the clear tube, that something remarkable is happening even though it feels far from it. You are giving lifesaving blood to someone who in the future is going to need it and by giving up 30 minutes of your day (this includes filling out the form, the pre-check and the donating itself) you can help someone in need.

For a long, long time I have wanted to give blood and in fact about 2 years ago a colleague and friend of mine wanted to do it too and so we agreed we were going to do it together. Our problem was we struggled to find out where they were having these donation clinics at the time. Eventually through another colleague, my friend got wind of a donation day and went along. I, unfortunately, wasn’t able to make that day. Since then it has always been in my mind to do it but I never got around to it. Until Friday. Thanks to another colleague who emailed out details of the next blood donation. Finally, it was my time!

At lunch time I headed out to the hospital where it was all going down. Funnily enough, I was getting ready to turn left onto the road that would take me to the hospital and as I changed lanes and came to a stop at the traffic lights, I smiled at the vehicle that was in front of me. It was a WP Blood Transfusion van and on the back it said “Donate Blood. Do Something Remarkable.” As the lights changed to green I followed the van all the way to the hospital, as if it was leading me there…

In the room where all this life-giving blood gets given and after filling out every single personal detail I could possible think to put an X where appropriate, my finger was pricked to make sure my iron levels were are all good before donating. Next I was up on the lounger and it was time to relax. I chatted to the staff who were all so super friendly and it turns out one of the nurses used to (and still does) live next to a plot in Jansens Road my father used to own. She asked after my parents and said to give them her regards. It’s such a small world. Even the guy giving blood next to me wished me well on my first blood donation as he finished up and jumped off  the lounger chair next to me. Giving is easy, even if it’s just sharing a few words with a stranger. It has definitely turned out to be the theme of my blog this past week!

A painless prick of the arm and suddenly I was connected and my blood was flowing. Such a simple gift of life.

The whole process was painless and quick and although it takes no effort on your part you really are doing something remarkable for some stranger you will never know.

Not only did I finally get to give blood, but I also got to tick off another bucket list item. #61, finally, is ticked!!

Lying back, it was ten minutes of complete time out as they took my blood and I got to tick off #61 on my bucket list. What a bonus!

If you live in the Western Cape (South Africa) click WP Blood Transfusion Service and look for the link that says upcoming clinics to find out when they will next be taking donations in your area. For anyone else wanting to donate blood, why don’t you Google ‘blood donation’ to find your nearest clinic in the country you live.

Now, if only you can get over your fear of needles and realise that with a simple donation of only 475ml’s of blood, that takes no more than 30 minutes, you have the opportunity to save at least 3 lives every single time you give blood. I guess that is pretty remarkable, isn’t it?

~ All pictures are mine, taken by the lovely nurse, Sally Robinson ~

Bucket List # 119 on a Cobblestone Square under the Stars.

It was a warm late summer’s evening last week when my friend Charlie and I headed into the city for an evening under the stars where I would get to tick off another bucket list item. We wandered around the streets as dusk fell upon the city streets and later, as night fell, we headed to a lovely little Italian Restaurant on the sidewalk of Green Market Square where we enjoyed pizza and beer as we waited for the night’s highlight.

Wondering around the streets of Cape Town, this beautiful church lined the square where everything was about to unfold.

The beautiful church windows.

The square was quiet at first with the last of the day’s traders packing up and clearing up before heading home. But soon the restaurant tables lining the square began to fill up and soon the square was abuzz with excitement as The Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra was about to embark on an extraordinary musical journey under a blanket of the Mother City’s night sky and I was about to tick off another bucket list item!

Sitting at a little Italian restaurant enjoying pizza and beer on the Square as we watched the ‘stage’ been set up in the square.

As the time drew closer for the orchestra to begin, we left our seating at side-walk restaurant and moved closer. Before too long the crowd was beginning to fill the square and notes from the orchestra tuning their instruments began to fill the air.  This display was part of a Public Arts Festival called “Infecting the City” which comes to life in streets of Cape Town once a year.

The orchestra getting ready and tuning their instruments.

The conductor finally appeared and took his place on the podium in front of the musicians and turned to us in the crowd and took a bow as the audience began to clap. Turning back to the orchestra, raising his arms he began to execute a series of arm movement and like puppets on a string, the orchestra began to play.  The conductor cuing the musicians so they could enter or leave the musical highway at the precisely right time. The first piece played was the South African National Anthem and it spilled out into the night in a way I had not heard before. It was beautiful beyond words.

The conductor began to execute a series of arm movements and the orchestra began to play, filling the night air with the sweet sounds of magic.

Captivated by the magic of the sounds filling the air, I was completely lost in time.

In a state of pure joy I stood there mesmerised by the fierce energy and precise ensemble playing, my ears filling with the beautiful sounds as the notes hit the summer night’s air.  Across the square to my left, a lady in a red dress danced with her partner to the music, delighting my eyes just as much as the music that filled my ears. I couldn’t help but smile, the music so magical wasn’t only effecting me, it was sweeping through the crowd and touching people’s souls and showing their essence.

Each piece played matching the mood and atmosphere of the night perfectly as we stood in the cobblestone square under a blanket of Cape Town’s night-time stars. It couldn’t have been more perfect.

The beautiful cellos. (Not the best photo as for some reason I took this photo with my phone).

All too soon it was over.  The crowd rose to their feet, clapping loudly and calling for an encore.  To our delight, the conductor came back, called by our rousing standing ovation and once again sweet music filled the streets of Cape Town.  As the conductor had done earlier, he once again encouraged the crowd to join in, no one stood still as the crowd and the orchestra became one.

For those 60 minutes I was lost in time, the music filling my soul and my body with an electric energy and leaving the square in an awe-inspiring aura that I was especially grateful to have experienced live, in person.

Another bucket list item ticked with a thrilling, captivating and masterful performance! Now, I can hardly wait till I get to tick off #78 on my Living to Do Bucket List at Carnegie Hall ~ I pray it may be soon!!

~ All photos by me ~