"Big desires and toughest challenges in 2024"
The Past… The Present… The Future
Rolling blackouts, power cuts, power outages, load-shedding, or whatever you might call it are now part of numerous countries all over the globe.
This is also the case for my beloved country at the bottom of Africa. A country that was once seen as the fastest-growing economy in Africa.
Then it all changed.
All of a sudden, the word “load-shedding” was now a word known by all, from young to old. It is so popular that in 2022 it was announced as South Africa’s word of the year.
The Past…
2007: South Africa enters the world of blackouts
2019: 30 days in total without electricity
2020: 54 days in total without electricity
2021: 75 days in total without electricity
2022: 205 days in total without electricity
This was also the year in which South Africa experienced a stage six rollout of blackouts for the first time, which left businesses and households without electricity for more than ten hours each day.
South Africans were also advised that over the next three years, they would have to deal with blackouts of up to six hours per day.
Now, if we fast forward to 2023, it is clear that South Africa was left in the dark.
2023: 335 days
There was only 1 month without load-shedding; therefore, uninterrupted power cuts resulted in the darkest year in history.
We might think that living in the dark is bad, but unfortunately, that is not where it ends. It is estimated that these blackouts cost South Africa over R1 trillion (South African Rand).
The present…
We are in the 3rd week of 2024, and there is no sign that load-shedding is something of the past, even though South Africans were promised that it would all change come December 2023.
The future…
South Africans are heading for the voting polls this year. I don’t know, but for me, it is a no-brainer where I will be putting my cross.
Now a question remains and a question that no politician could answer so far: are we going to experience another record-breaking year in 2024?
As for me, my one big desire is to go completely off the grid with both electricity and water.
The biggest challenge is the financial outlay. We will have to purchase batteries and solar panels. That is, however, not where it ends. As you need to know what you are doing, a professional will have to be called upon to install the setup. A room will have to be built where the batteries can be stored, and the solar panels will have to be installed on the roof.
The estimated cost of going completely off the grid is +/- R750,000 (South African Rand) or 167590.25 STEEM.
I can achieve this desire as long as I keep in mind that Rome was not built in one day. I can do it little by little.
My second desire doesn’t leave me in the dark, but with a knob in my throat, with sadness.
The Past…
Most of you know by now that I have two children and then also two “love children.”
When my kids were young, I kept them under my wing. We would do things together. We laugh together, party together, and even cry together. Looking back, I can, in all honesty, say that we had a special bond.
As they grew older, I had to accept the fact that they were no longer required to be kept under their mother’s wing. I had to let go. They started to live and write their own stories. They started their careers, both got married, and they had children. One of them even had to experience what a divorce felt like.
I could no longer intervene, and I had to accept their choices. After all, what does a mother know?
It is with pride that I can say that both of them made the most of their lives. Well, so far.
The present…
My son has been living in Ireland for the last nearly 5 years. Yes, we WhatsApp and video call, but I have not been able to hold him in all this time. His wife gave birth to a baby girl in November last year.
I was going to visit him in Ireland in 2020, but then COVID-19 put a stop to it. After that, we sold our house in Johannesburg and moved to the coast, where we are now working hard to fix our house to be like we want it to be before we completely retire.
My daughter, on the other hand, was going to immigrate, but her husband decided after two weeks in New Zealand that it was not for him. They now have to start all over again, building their little nest for themselves and my two grandchildren. This they are doing in Johannesburg, 600km from me, as that is where there are more opportunities.
The future…
I don’t know what the future holds for me or them. What I do know is that this will come with its fair share of challenges, as that is what life is all about.
I also know what I would like to do in the future as far as it involves my children.
That brings me to my desire.
I desire to bring us all together, us (hubby, my stepchildren, and me), my son and his family, and, of course, my daughter and her family.
Nothing would give me greater pleasure than this.
Again, I have to refer to finance as the biggest challenge. My son won’t be able to leave Ireland due to him furthering his career for at least the next two years. If I want to see this happen we will all have to go to Ireland and it will cost me +/- R 500,000 (South African Rand) or 111726.83 STEEM.
I hope to be able to raise the funds for this trip with the income I am generating from my holiday letting.
Which of these two desires would I like to fulfill most?
You cannot measure family time with money. I am also not getting any younger, and we don’t know what tomorrow will bring for all of us; therefore, I would like to bring the family together most of all, even if it is for “oulaas” (old time’s sake).
Which of these two desires would be the most difficult to fulfill?
The first one! It is going to cost a lot to go completely off the grid, and we might have paw-paw and avocado trees growing in our garden, but I can assure you there is no money tree.
Who knows... Number 5 might just be my lucky number this year. 5, 15, 25, 35, 45, and 50, are my lottery numbers.
I invite: @kouba01 @alee75 @el-nailul
Thank you to all the Steemians who invited me to this contest:
@fadlymatch @vickyson @bossj23 @sabbirrr @rosselena
Account summary:
Club100
Transfer to vesting: 1,795.000 STEEM
Normal transfer: 49 STEEM (Competition and charity)
Thank you for your invitation. There are many things we experience that are sometimes not ideal or good. However, we can try to "make peace" with the existing conditions. Currently, it is a time of crisis in various parts of the world in various aspects. Political aspects, humanitarian crisis, climate crisis and others. We in Indonesia this year will hold legislative and presidential elections on February 14 2024 which we hope will produce legislative members and a president who will bring change for the better, even though it will be difficult, considering that the son of the current president will take part in the contest. as vice presidential candidate.
The smell of fraud was visible from the start of the nomination by changing the election law to elect the crown prince. Hopefully there will be a miracle and a president will be elected who can fulfill the people's hopes. Good luck with your contest....
It seems that the governments of so many countries are corrupt. This we have seen in South Africa also.
We also have elections this year, but believe it or not, we don't even have a date. We are all waiting for it.
I do believe it is going to be a year of change. The current ruling party is not going to get the majority (51%) this year. I think we are steering towards a coalition government this year.
Will it be good? Only time will tell.
What is ridiculous is the number of registered parties. If you have money, anyone can register a party.
Fingers crossed that all will turn out well for both our countries.
Thank you for the visit and the insightful comment.
We in Indonesia also hope that change will come. People's support for presidential candidates who carry a change agenda is quite high. And according to surveys from foreign institutions such as Utting research
(Australia) and Bloomberg, the pair promoting change will win. However, the shadow of election fraud is felt enough that civil society is calling for impeachment of the current president... 🤷
We can only put our hands together and hope for the best my friend.
Good luck!
Of course, I pray that all your wishes are definitely fulfilled in 2024. Be with your entire family and enjoy happy moments with them. There is nothing greater than family. If family is with you, you can face even the biggest problems. It is very good that you care a lot about your family. We all work hard day and night for the happiness of our family. be happiness.
Awh, thank you, friend!
There is indeed nothing greater than family, and we must treasure every moment that we can spend together. It is later on, when each one goes his own way, that you truly miss those special times. Those moments of sharing hugs and kisses.
Thank you, and happiness to you and your family as well.
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Thank you!
Oh my! Your year will be a challenge from the first to the last day...! I so understand your desire to see the family together again. I think that will take a while for us too. But the autarky: you will certainly manage that! There are also Steemians here who do things with solar panels, I've heard ;-)) Maybe people can help each other...?
How nice! I have not seen or heard this word in many years. These days, independence and self-sufficiency are the main words being used.
The problem we have is that we cannot install a small solar system due to the holiday letting. We will have to install a decent system that can supply the main house and the holiday apartment.
As you said, I am sure I will be able to handle it... with time.
I just spoke to my son for nearly 30 minutes. Gosh, I do miss them. It is only when you grow older that you wish you'd given them more hugs and kisses when they were tiny.
Congratulations, your post has been upvoted by @dsc-r2cornell, which is the curating account for @R2cornell's Discord Community.
Enhorabuena, su "post" ha sido "up-voted" por @dsc-r2cornell, que es la "cuenta curating" de la Comunidad de la Discordia de @R2cornell.
@blessed-girl 🎕
Thank you!
Your post is very well presented. Every person has some dreams but to fulfill them many challenges have to be faced. So thanks for the invite. Good luck for the contest.
Hello! Your post is a heartfelt journey through challenges and aspirations. I admire your determination to achieve both personal and professional dreams despite the hurdles. The goal of going off the grid and uniting your family is inspiring. Overcoming financial obstacles is tough but your perseverance shines through. Best of luck with your desires may 2024 bring you success and joy. Looking forward to hearing about your achievements. Good luck in the contest !
It is for me to say thank you for your visit and your kind words.
I suppose that no matter where you are living in this beautiful world of ours, there will always be some obstacles. For most, it will be financially, but as you have stated, we just have to keep going and trying. And if it looks impossible, we look for other alternatives.
Saludos cordiales hermosa amiga patjewell, un gusto para mi saludarte y leer tu participación.
Mientras tenemos vida significa que podemos soñar, que podemos planificar metas y sueños, depende de nuestra Fe, de nuestra dedicación y empeño si estos se llevan a cabo o quedan solo como sueños, por eso debemos luchar muy duro en lograrlos y hacerlos realidad, todo es posible.
Te deseo muchos éxitos, feliz y bendecido día.
How true are these words! If we have these three things in place we can have not only our desires but the world at our feet. We need them to give us that fighting spirit.
Thank you! I appreciate your visit to my post.
we join in after learning this from you, the electricity scene is getting worse for all of us, there is no bright light at night and other things besides using solar power. Maybe this is a tough challenge to face, because your son doesn't want to go to Ireland because Africa is facing this situation. immersive story. I hope you're fine, ma'am
Hi there!
Thank you! I am just fine. It is just that sometimes I can get so frustrated with the state our country is in. In fact, no country should sit with housing, medical, electricity, and water problems.
Let's keep our fingers crossed that, in the future, it will change.
Thank you. I appreciate the visit and the engagement with my post.