Celebrating Love

I once met a “chick” called Lelethu whom I later nicknamed Lulu. My Lulu was a truly phenomenal one, who, at an age far younger than mine, exceeded my fierceness, confidence and optimism about life, love and everything in between. Totally in awe and inspired, I started this blog and assumed the pseudonym: “Lulu Nation” as an ode to her ability to speak freely about anything, at any time, with anybody, in any situation. If you knew this Lulu, you would know this to be true and would have experienced the many gems she spit, and, the equal amount of faux pas that she would later kick herself for. What was most amazing about her was the way the faux pas always facilitated lessons for her, and this, is what I admired most about her – the fearlessness to say the wrong thing in aid of learning something new. And so the spirit of this blog and my latter published work was birthed…

If you knew Lelethu in some way or other, you probably experienced a person who was full of praise and compliments. You probably also knew a person who arrived and then arrived and stayed there until she had to leave. She paid attention. Lelethu was also a person who loved fun, laugher, silliness, dancing, music, movies, books, exercise, people, travel and everything life had to offer– she not only wished she could do all these things, she actually did them. Lelethu’s days were full – so fully that we would complain because our time with her was always limited.

Lelethu was a giver. She gave me many “things”, out of the blue, because she thought of me. But the best things she ever gave me, and continued to give me until her very last day on earth, were the endless compliments and recognition for the many things I did. Lelethu gave props. She gave me props on my beauty, my work, my silly jokes, my style – everything. It is because of the things that Lelethu saw in me, that I began to learn that I am as great as I believe to be. If you are anything like me, this is a very hard realisation to come to after a very long time of self flagellation. This, dear friends, is not a romantic memory of a friend who is no longer here but a testament of a true gift from above.

I am not quite sure why I am writing this. Perhaps it is so as not to forget, because to forget would truly be spitting in the face of this great gift that was bestowed upon me. Perhaps it is to share what I believe was a divine experience from above that was always meant to be brief.

On the day she died, I bumped into Lelethu on her way to a meeting. She was just on time but insisted that she give me a lift to the next building where I was to have my meeting. I thought it was rather absurd as she was going to be late for her meeting and the building was just a five minute walk away. She insisted…

We caught up for as much as the time would allow. At the end of that drive, as I was about to step out of her car, she looked at me and said: “Follow you destiny, my friend…I love you”. And with that I said goodbye and went on my merry way. That was the last time I saw my friend alive.

I dwell in cynicism, you see, and have, in the past, looked for every reason to not succumb to mushy, romantic ideals about life. “It’s a self preservation thing, you see?”

After all the tears that never seem to run out and after all is said and done, I can truly say that I have changed, for I now know love and what it feels like to be truly blessed. I know that optimism about life and its possibilities is something to be cherished, nurtured and celebrated. Call me mushy, idealistic and romantic. I truly don’t care....

Chom’am, “my friend”, Looksie Love, Love Lam’, My Lulu…Your love lives on!