WALK THIS WAY walk this way by ANEL OOSTHUIZEN
Friends for Life
I have always been a firm believer that anything is possible , as long as you surround yourself with the right people that support you .
being there , I ’ ve looked at my memories popping up in this last week and realised once again that even though I did not like the place itself , the people I surrounded myself with made it much more bearable .
Images : Courtesy Anel Oosthuizen
As the year comes to an end , I ’ ve been seeing and getting all these amazing memories on Facebook , some from as far as seven years ago . I ’ ve spoken a lot about my ‘ support system ’ throughout the years , those people that have never left my side , both in growing up and in my walking career , and I realise I have been extremely blessed to have had such incredible people surrounding me .
Looking at those memories now , I tend to see them in such a different way , and I now appreciate and treasure most of them more than ever . The memories I have made with these people who have supported me , and who have stood by me through all the highs and lows , are the ones that I treasure the most , but I ’ ve also seen some memories and things that I have outgrown . Even that has taught me so much in life , and therefore I am still grateful for every one of them .
What Taylor Said …
Seeing all these great times , while reflecting on this whirlwind of a year , I ’ ve been relating a lot of my feelings to what is , in my opinion , one of the most powerful acceptance speeches ever , by the singer Taylor Swift : “ I want to say to all the young women out there , there are going to be people along the way who try to undercut your success , or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame , but if you just focus on the work and you don ’ t let those people sidetrack you , someday , when you get where you ’ re going , you will look around and you will know … it was you , and the people who love you , who put you there . And that will be the greatest feeling in the world .”
This speech spoke to me so much the first time I heard it , and made me even more grateful for the people I have in my life . I think anyone who reads that speech and thinks about their own ‘ support system ’ will immediately have a few special people come to mind . As part of that , I often think of my friends at varsity .
I ’ ve never made it a secret that my four years studying in Johannesburg were probably the toughest years of my life so far . I hated being away from home , having a long-distance relationship , and just not feeling comfortable and as safe there . ( Coming from a small town in the beautiful Garden Route , you can probably understand my safety concerns .) But while I am grateful for what I achieved while
I thus made my best friends during the toughest years of my life , and I would never want to change that . I even went to the Rio Olympics with some of them . These friends and I still often reminisce about the great times we had , and I realise now that back then I didn ’ t realise what amazing memories I was making . Sometimes I even find myself thinking that though I never want to repeat that time of my life , maybe I didn ’ t live in the moment enough . It ’ s then that I realise it is because I miss my friends , who were the people I leaned on daily to help me just get through some of the toughest days .
All You Need is Friends
Getting back to the inspiring speech , I think during this pandemic I have realised more than ever how important it is to have that support system , and the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people . You see , I tested positive for COVID-19 about a week before writing this , and even though I have been superlucky to only have minimum symptoms , the time you spend in isolation makes you realise how much you need people around you , and that we simply do not appreciate the contact we have with people nearly enough .
Having said that , it has been scientifically proven that people who do not have any friends have a 30 % higher risk of developing coronary heart disease or having a stroke . So , we can literally argue that it is bad for your health to be lonely . This highlights once again how important it is to live in the moment , no matter how difficult things may seem right now , and to surround yourself with people who have dreams , desire and ambition , because they will help you push forward , motivate you , and help you realise your own dreams .
About the Author
Race Walker Anel Oosthuizen is a multiple SA Champion and Record Holder , and represented SA in the women ’ s 20km at the 2016 Rio Olympics .
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