Dear valued clients and friends,
This past month has brought a rather unexpected mix of blessings, challenges and opportunities. Looking back on it, I’ve realised that each one has asked something different of me. Some have required tolerance, some courage and others simply the willingness to accept that I am still learning.
The greatest blessing has undoubtedly been becoming a grandfather. It is difficult to explain the feeling of meeting this little person for the first time and immediately knowing that they have become part of you. The love is instinctive and familiar, yet the experience itself is completely new.
Learning a Different Kind of Love
What I am beginning to understand is that being a grandparent brings a different kind of responsibility. The love may feel much like the love you have for your own child but the role is not the same. There are new parents finding their way, other families to consider and traditions and perspectives that may differ from your own.
You are no longer the person making the decisions. Instead, you begin learning when to offer advice, when to step back and how to support without taking over. I suspect this will be an ongoing lesson for me.
There is something quite humbling about loving someone so deeply while recognising that your place in their life must be shaped with care. It is not about leading from the front but about being present, dependable and willing to make room for others. That may be one of the most unexpected gifts of this new chapter.
What Happens When You Ask
This month also saw me complete my first half marathon ever, in Knysna. Some of you may remember that the idea began during a podcast conversation with Richard Wright earlier this year. At the time, 21 kilometres felt like a very long way away.
A few minor injuries, many training runs and more than a little self-negotiation later, I crossed the finish line. What struck me was how something that initially seemed enormous gradually became manageable. Not because it became easier but because I stopped looking at the entire distance and concentrated on what needed to happen next.
One run. One recovery day. One kilometre at a time.
It reminded me that setting your mind to something does not mean the path suddenly opens up neatly in front of you. It means making the first decision and then continuing to make smaller decisions that move you in the same direction.
Oddly enough, the same thought came to mind when I asked Helen Zille whether she would consider joining me for an interview. It would have been easy to assume she was too busy, that the timing would not work or that the answer would simply be no.
But I asked and she said yes.
Our conversation will be shared on the Homes of Distinction social media pages in August and I’m looking forward to hearing her thoughts on leadership, Johannesburg and the role we can all play in the place we call home.
The experience reminded me how often we decide what someone else’s answer will be before giving them the opportunity to respond. We talk ourselves out of the conversation, the opportunity or the challenge before it has even begun.
Perhaps that is the thread connecting these very different experiences. Becoming a grandfather has reminded me that growth sometimes means stepping back. Running the half marathon showed me what can unfold when you commit and keep moving. Asking for the interview reminded me that sometimes the first step is no more complicated than asking the question.
Life’s greatest blessings often seem to arrive with lessons attached. They ask us to grow into new roles, move beyond what feels comfortable and remain open to what may happen next.
As Arthur Ashe once said:
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”
Sometimes that really is enough to begin.
Warm regards,
Jonathan Broekman
Principal, Homes of Distinction
