The Nutshell w/e 28th November

Dear Parents,

Werk dit? Wees eerlik: When I was at school, I used to practise my scales at exactly 8pm – the precise moment the evening news started on television, which my dad watched without fail. In those days you watched the news when it was on. No pause. No playback. The piano stood in the room next to the television, separated only by a retractable divider that pretended to offer privacy but really offered none at all.

Did I choose that moment on purpose? Perhaps. The louder I played, the more my dad turned the volume up. The more he turned the volume up, the more emphatically I powered through those scales. And as I finished, the inevitable comment came through the divider. I am sure he did not mean it the way I interpreted it, but what I heard was always something like, “Are you sure that is the best you can do?” or “Have you really finished?”

And my poor sister. Recorder at ten o’clock at night was not my most endearing quality. She tolerated it all, and she is now my rock and one of my best friends.

On my run this morning, I listened to a podcast where the speaker asked listeners to think of their happiest memory. At first, I could not pick one. Then I realised why: I had so many safe, warm and happy memories that choosing only one felt impossible.

Jam on toast in bed before going to church at 6am to practise the organ. My mum sitting quietly in the back pew with her Bible, never once looking reluctant. My dad picking me up from school, taking my bag from me as we walked to the car, making me feel utterly cared for. Family, pets, the sea, friends, teachers, music, sport – and yes, those scales at 8pm.

Childhood should feel like that: safe, supported, and filled with small moments that become lifelong joy. And we, the adults, get to help create that through patience, encouragement and all the tiny acts of love that often go unnoticed in the moment.

Ultimately, what we hope for is simple: that one day our children will look back and find they have so many joyful memories that choosing only one becomes the hardest part.

Best wishes,

Lindie

Read full Nutshell here