Walking it off
To retain the benefits and essence of our time away we go for short afternoon walks. These support and sustain us. We went for a walk through the Wits Art Museum to step between the cracks of the past
The benefits of taking some time off, visiting different places and being able to disconnect from work and life routines at home are enormous. On re-entry into normal day to day work and life, however, the memories soon fade and all too soon the stresses of searching for business and chasing debtors take hold.
On our return from being away, we wanted to see if we could hold on to the essence of our road trip in some way. Could we extend the benefits while we simultaneously managed the impact of deadlines and demands?
The aim was to avoid slipping back into the same old routines and being assailed by the same stresses by doing something intentional. Matthew suggested we go for a short walk each afternoon. Nothing too strenuous or too long. No need to change into special gear. Just a stroll around a block or two before the sun went down.
Not May-hem, rather dis-May
The month of May heralds the end of autumn in the southern hemisphere. It is an in-between month where the weather doesn’t know what to do, grumbles about the colder, shorter days begin to bubble up, the air feels thin and the economy thinner.
Our May was beset with challenges. We were plagued by frustrations at a new accounting system, impatience with a banks that perpetually served up blocks to stumble over, and clients that owed money.
Mondays seemed to be the big bad wolves: snapping at our heels and bumping us off track. Mondays tend to be rather chaotic at the best of times. The house gets cleaned and we are confined to our office as rooms around us get turned upside down and the vacuum cleaner growls and howls.
At the beginning of each week we would arrive at our desks ready to roll, lists at the ready, focussed and clear on our tasks. Then some delay, a difficult client, a demand for information already sent out or some technical wobble would gobble up hours and leave us deflated. It was not quite May-hem, but rather more dis-May.
Walking off our woes
In line with our intention we made a commitment to stop what we were doing each day at 16h30 and be out on our walk by 17h00. We have mostly managed to do this. Matthew has to be dragged away from his current project and he’s grateful for that. He changes into his walking shoes and adds a layer. Chantal tugs on a beanie and an extra jacket.
Outside our gate, we have made friends with the domestic ladies who meet on the grass verge. Stella is big and loud and always makes us smile. Betty is shyer and crochets while Stella talks on her behalf. Jabu complains about the cold with a grin and a shake of her head at us. She cannot understand why we would want to leave our warm house.
In the middle of the month, in addition to all the other big bad wolves, we had to deal with a large and impactful disappointment. It was a significant blow. Our walks saved our sanity. In the open air we were able to let off steam, even sulk for a block or so, and by the time we headed into the final stretch the sky would wave and the changing light would blink and we would be able to recalibrate. It allowed us to just keep moving.
We have stuck to this promise and it has made a huge difference. For those 30 minutes or so that we are out we can take a deep breath, shake off the dust of the day and chat about our work, our worries and our plans.
A walk between the cracks
We ventured into Braamforntein on Saturday to visit the Wits Art Museum for Paul Weinberg’s Between the Cracks photographic exhibition. A few weeks ago we attended his book launch and we were eager to experience his work first hand.
As the road works narrowed and closed in Jorrisen Street we were very grateful that we had chosen to Uber. We were dropped off close to the door but we still had to hop and skip over the cracks in the road that were being mended. A friendly young student who was in attendance to assist first time visitors greeted us at the entrance. This was not our first time and as we knew what we were coming to see she let us explore.
It is a thought provoking retrospective of Paul’s work covering nearly five decades. He tells the stories of ordinary folk living through some very difficult times. Racism and apartheid are the backdrop to these photos.
In the late 1990’s, as the new dispensation came into being, Paul turned to exploring spirituality in its many forms in this southern part of Africa. His black and white photos become infused with colour.
We bumped into a young black couple having a “date day”. Matthew struck up a conversation with them, interested in their perspective of the exhibition.
“What was it like living through this time?” asked the young man.
We gave our view. We had been privileged white South Africans who were protected by the propaganda machine. We had not been involved in any struggle activities.
“We were barely affected by what was happening a few kilometres away in Soweto, or Alex, or any number of other townships,” remarked Chantal.
“The sad thing is,” added Matthew, “That when we look at these photos, some of them shot more than forty years ago, they could have been taken today. The people look the same, the poverty is still there. All that suffering, the sacrifice, where are we as a country today?”
“I still believe in this country,” said the young man, “I still think we can make a difference.”
“We love this country too” said Chantal, “It is up to you young people to do the work to make it different.”
From cracks to cracking
We watched the young couple walk away hand in hand warmed by their positivity and enthusiasm. Far too many of our young people have fallen between the cracks. Unemployed, unproductive, and unmotivated. It felt good to witness a different perspective and possibility.
Our work, which is focused on wellbeing and emotional fitness, often sits in the cracks between the business imperative of profit and productivity and the thin desires of society for status and wealth. At times we have felt trodden on, overlooked, dismissed and neglected.
Our walks have allowed us to peep over the lip, pull ourselves up and look for ways to reinvent ourselves so that we can be seen. Matthew is currently working on a fabulous project that could take us from the cracks to cracking. Watch this space.
Until next time.
Yours in feeling,
Chantal & Matthew
Credits for this issue — Images: Midjourney & 5th Place
Written by
Chantal Dawtrey
Supporting women, especially in midlife and beyond, to navigate life transitions · Emotional fitness coach
Chantal supports women, especially in midlife and beyond, to navigate life transitions. She designs and delivers data informed digital programmes that build organisational emotional fitness. She helps people move beyond habitual patterns into greater awareness, agency, and well being.
With over 15 years of coaching experience and more than two decades in facilitation and human development, Chantal partners with individuals, teams, and organizations to build emotional resilience, enhance self-awareness, and develop sustainable well-being strategies.
Her primary focus as a coach is supporting women, especially those in their 50’s and beyond, to navigate profound life transitions with clarity, steadiness and self-reconnection. Finding answers to questions about identity, purpose, belonging and desire to an emergence, a reclamation and a return to self.
If you're going through a transition and would like support, let's talk.
Matthew Green
Reducing the Certainty Deficit in high-performing people and teams · Emotional fitness coach
Matthew works with athletes, performance teams, and anyone who wants to reduce the Certainty Deficit in their situation or context.
The Certainty Deficit is the space between what you can do and what your body will let you do when it counts. It is context-specific and situational. A person or athlete can have zero deficit in one situation and a significant one in another.
The body holds beliefs that keep the Certainty Deficit in place. These beliefs run deeper than self-talk and faster than any conscious strategy. When they shift, the ceiling shifts, and new possibilities arise.
Matthew is also an emotional fitness coach who supports individuals to live and lead from a place of inner clarity and stability. The work is somatic-first, practical, and grounded.
If you're seeing a pattern that current approaches haven't shifted, let's talk.
My origin story: Why elite athletes underperform when it counts
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