The trouble with being busy

TTB has been very, very busy in the last while. She’s been attending baby showers, bridal showers, weddings like they’re coming out of her ears. Yip, the matrimony bug continues to nab her friends! And babies are now definitely the rage. Don’t get TTB wrong she enjoys being busy and she does enjoy a good wedding reception but when it’s all happening at the same time along with all sorts of work commitments, well, then something’s gotta give! And the first thing that goes out the window is blogging! Yes, dear readers, the TTB is offering a heartfelt apology for her absence. (She knows she issued this last week in the midst of all the chaos but she’s saying it again.)

There haven’t been any earth shattering occurrences in the last while. A volcano erupted and is apparently still causing a bit of havoc with that volcanic ash cloud, but that’s old news. JZ has been in power for the last year. The new Durban Airport has experienced some shenanigans with messed up undercover fuel lines. Skandaal, skandaal. No one has accused anyone of touching them on their studio and doesn’t seem like there are any more of those annoying “bloody agents” running around. Thank goodness for that! As it appears, TTB’s loyal followers all seem to be in stable relationships or have run out of intelligent relational dilemmas to seek advice about. Surely this can’t be. But yes, TTB still awaits her next “agony aunt” moment. Dee, if you’re reading this, TTB has every intention of answering your question about whether handbags and briefcases can really be “just friends”. For now the jury is still out on that one and TTB is hoping to make an informed opinion shortly.
That leaves only mundane things to write about. Sorry. TTB follows the rule any good writer should: Write what you know. And at the moment all TTB knows is being very busy.

As TTB writes she listens to her Korean washing machine singing a little Korean folk song which can be loosely translated as: “Your washing is done. Your washing is done. Now get off your lazy ass and go and hang it up” and realises that being busy robs one of having the time to do boring (actually TTB doesn’t think laundry is boring) but necessary things like, laundry. Yes, dear friends one realises how very busy one is when you have to pop over to your nearest Woolworths to buy a few more clothes – not tastefully chosen but bought in desperation as there ain’t any clean ones left in the cupboard. Listen, just as an aside. TTB does not like wearing anything more than once and thinks that people who recycle clothes are simply: disgusting. Hence her obsession with clean clothes and laundry! Luckily she is safe for a good while. This load should keep her going for at least the next week.

As TTB surveys her cupboards in true Mother Hubbard style, she realises that she can’t quite remember the last time she saw the inside of the local Pick ‘n Pay. Yes, being busy also means that you neglect the weekly food shop. Actually as she ponders her last grocery shopping expedition, the memories of that fateful day all come flooding back to her. And she remembers the fabulous advice that resulted from this torment of a food shop, “If you are thinking of getting married and having babies – spend some time at a grocery store.” She generously gave this advice to a close friend considering marriage. You might wonder why TTB would suggest such a thing – so did her friend! Let her not keep you in the dark…

Aside from the usual moms with 10 toddlers in a trolley and a crying baby on the arm blocking the aisles, TTB was privy to a few situations which well should have been just that – private. TTB was minding her own business in the veggie department when she encountered an American couple having a full on domestic. It seems they were arguing about who was going to be the one to walk the walk of shame and purchase the very necessary supply of, um, how shall we say…prophylactics. (To use a very American term in honour of them.) At that point TTB thought that she may have just seen everything but, she was wrong. It seems that this couple may have been onto something as those toddlers do grow up into an awful species called “teenagers”. With the Americans still in earshot she meandered along trying to find some peace in the fruit section. But oh no! Right in front of the lemons there was another shocking interchange happening between a mother and her teenage daughter. Yip, they were also having a domestic in the middle of a grocery store which ended with the mother sarcastically shouting: “And now you’re shouting at me in the middle of the grocery store. How sweet!”

It was at this moment that TTB realised that she REALLY doesn’t like grocery shopping. But she really likes food and doesn’t really like being hungry. Fortunately there was one last decent meal left from that fateful day and as TTB munches away at the solitary Porterhouse steak that remained in her freezer and a few veggies (well past their sell by date but good enough still to eat due to all that genetic modification everyone whines about) she thinks that maybe all the babies and domestics are worth it? You know to just brave it and go grocery shopping. The conclusion being as follows: busyness is bad for one’s health. It leaves one blog entry-less, hungry and with a pile of dirty clothes. The only solution to this problem is to a) be less busy or b) find a house husband. Mmm. Maybe there is something to recommend this matrimony vibe?

Yours sincerely
TTB

The trouble with the go-between

Dear The Turquoise Bag,

I've had a read through your blog and thought it would be fitting to write you on my little dilemma. I have a good friend of mine who confided in me about a woman that he liked and as any good friend I encouraged him to pursue her. He is very shy and so I took matters into my own hands in order to befriend this woman so as to introduce her to my friend. As luck would have it she befriended me and I introduced her to my friend but unfortunately she started to show signs that she was interested in me. This I only noticed once I had introduced them and withdrawn from the scene. I was prepared to talk to her but my friend said that he could never face her if I revealed the whole story and to leave it to him to explain. As it would be my friend never did and after only a few attempts at trying to pursue her, he seemed to give up. It has been several years and my friend has since said he is no longer interested in her.

Now my reason for this story is to put you into perspective of where I am currently. I happened to run into this aforementioned woman by chance at a coffee shop and I sat down to catch up with her. There was an awkwardness to the conversation which I believe may very well have to do with where we left off previously. We are both unattached so that is not an issue but we both have come out of serious relationships and I'm not sure if we are experiencing a “rebound” moment or if it has to do with what happened several years ago. I must admit that I have thought about it and I am not against the idea of us dating but I am concerned that it might be unwise considering our past and current states. I have met with her a couple of times now and I have a feeling that she may still wonder if something could happen between us and admittedly so do I. I believe that it may be an opportunity I will regret not taking if I past it by based on complications.

My question is, if you were this woman would you appreciate it if I explained to you why I did not make a move previously or would it be more appropriate to ask her out on a date and if she does bring up the subject to then say that I messed up? I'm still friends with the man who liked her and I wouldn't want to blacken his name or sound like I'm coming up with an excuse. As you can see I am in a bit of a spot and would appreciate a well informed woman's perspective.

Yours Sincerely,
Leonard

Dear Leonard

Thank you for reading my blog and for writing to me. Wow, what a story. So she’s the one that got away…from your friend? Mmm. Yes, it’s always complicated when friends are involved. I see that your question is ultimately whether you can spill the beans and tell this lovely lady about what had happened in the past? Although I have a feeling that you are actually asking a number of other questions. Actually, not a feeling, I can see that you are asking a number of questions and so I will certainly give you a woman’s perspective but I am going to make a few other comments on your situation.

Firstly, I think you are trying to decide if you’re going to defy the “the bro code” by getting involved with this girl. I am not really sure, since I am not a “bro”. It seems that you really care about your mate and don’t want his feelings to be hurt and that’s why you didn’t reveal (all those years ago) why you did not pursue the lady in question, out of respect for him. Well done! Bro’s before ho’s… That’s what I always say. Ok. Just kidding. (Eek. I’m probably going to get some hate mail from the feminists for writing that. Please forgive me – this is a humorous column as well and we handbags can’t take ourselves too seriously!) On a more serious note, I do think you have to consider your friend and be totally honest with him should you decide to ask her on a date. Since you say he’s not keen on her anymore, you probably out of the woods but best to come clean anyway. You would not want a friendship to sour over a relationship that might not even occur!

Ok, with that out of that way we can move onto the rebound issue. So, you just came out of a relationship, hey? Let me ask you one question: are you bored and need of some excitement? If the answer is yes, then don’t even think of asking her on a date. You’re wasting your time and hers. You need to get over the junk that happened in your last relationship and once you’re in the position where you have met someone and from the little you know of them, they seem like someone you could fall in love with and spend the rest of your life with, then only are you ready to start dating. But if this is just a notion of, “I’m bored, lonely and in need of companionship” – get yourself a dog. Any dating done for selfish reasons is doomed for failure... (This is the advice I would give the woman in question too, by the way.)

Now assuming you (and she) are in the right frame of mind to be in a relationship and you could genuinely see yourself in a forever type of relationship with her (the only one worth having) then I would have this to say about your question: let sleeping dogs lie. Don’t bring up all the stuff about your mate liking her and you acting (in good faith) as his agent in this scenario. Rather leave it until she brings it up – that is if she ever brings it up. Sometimes when we know of weird vibes that went down with someone of the opposite sex, we become overly aware of them and may see an awkwardness that does not exist. (I am not saying there isn’t awkwardness – just that you may be imagining it.) You may meet up for a date or 2, only to find there is no connection and then to go into all that history for nothing…

My rule of thumb is to always be honest but only on a “need to know” basis. She doesn’t need to know at this point why you didn’t pursue her all those years ago. Should you start seeing each other for real, I would then come clean in a matter of fact way – not making a big deal about it. I think it’s one of those things that you could have a chuckle about in the future? Not at the expense of your friend! When you do tell her (although I am sure is she has an EQ she will have figured out your mate liked her) do it in such a way that your friend is honoured in the conversation. Keep things simple in the beginning and if you have a lasting chemistry then your friend’s interest in her will not matter – probably just flatter her and make her think more highly of you for honouring him. I think a lesson that can be learned from this is to never act as the go-between in your friends’ love life pursuits. 9 out 10 times the girl thinks that go-between likes her. It creates massive headaches…

All the best and let me know how it goes. I enjoyed this question and am pleased that you’re thinking about women’s perceptions in these dilemma’s of life.

Yours sincerely
TTB

The trouble with terrorism

TTB apologizes for her recent absence from the blogosphere. She’s been fighting illness in the family and corporate South Africa and broken computers and the likes. But she’s back and back with vengeance as she tackles another topic about those undeniable differences between men and women.

TTB was recently tasked with transporting enough food to feed a small, African country to a secret destination. Since TTB believes that the only carrying handbags ought to be doing is that of the beauty essentials: lip gloss, mirror, brush, perfume and of course a credit card (for some unplanned shopping!) she enlisted the assistance of 5 strong, young lads. After all, that’s the very reason briefcases were invented – to carry things! So, to keep her company she invited a lovely lady (because hanging out with so many briefcases without a wing woman can be very taxing.) TTB has taken this young handbag under her wing and has been showing her a thing or two about life. And this trip was to reveal one of the most important lessons a handbag can learn…

The morning progressed very well – the briefcases were very cooperative carrying 200 litres of ice-cream here and 150 litres of juice there. They really were first class carriers but as the morning wore on, the briefcases started becoming a little more vocal. A chirp here, a chirp there – you know, as briefcases do. TTB’s young ward started becoming more and more agitated by these sparring comments from the team of briefcases. At one point in response to one of the briefcases’ more out there comments, the Young Handbag (YH) muscled up a right-back-at-ya chirp. TTB smiled and walked off. The YH looked aghast and said, “How can you just ignore them?” TTB responded, “It’s a skill. Taken me 7 years to learn this!” Briefcase 1 smartly commented, “Well, if you can’t handle the heat, you better get out of the kitchen!” Briefcase 2 laughed and said, “No way, we don’t want them to ever leave the kitchen – the kitchen should be the handbag’s natural habitat!” YH’s jaw dropped and was about to say something that she was definitely going to regret when TTB gently took her aside and suggested a brisk walk to cool off.

“Young Handbag, let me teach you a survival techniques that will stand you in good stead.” YH nodded eagerly and TTB took her through the following life philosophy. For years and years, this handbag has been very hot-headed. She used to respond to every verbal duel that came her way. (Well, maybe ‘used to’ is a bit of an overstatement. Unfortunately she sometimes still falls for these traps and feels the need to go head to head with some thick-skinned oke.) Briefcases like to chirp handbags. (At least those of the South African variety do.) Generally these comments have some sexist overtone and then they wait for the handbag to get all up in arms and then the fun really begins... Recently she has realised that responding to these challenges by briefcases – who are generally far less invested in whatever topic they try to lure you into discussion about – is utterly pointless. Yes, dear YH, the point of these verbal duels is not to have a fair debate about the topic. Oh no, most of the time it is a game of who can come up with the wittiest response and how quickly said briefcase can send said handbag into a froth of anger. And this is where one of the most fundamental differences between briefcases and handbags come into play.

Briefcases can generally keep going at this game of verbal one-upmanship for months without getting the least bit phased or emotional. (Ok, we’re talking generally. Please don’t write to me about how you’re a really sensitive briefcase and how you’re offended by TTB’s assumptions here. GENERALLY. Generally. Get it? If you’re a sensitive briefcase who only speaks nice, kind words to handbags then please write to TTB. She thinks such rare specimens are like lank eligible, bru.) On the other hand, handbags who engage in these pointless conversations (primarily started for the pleasure of the briefcase) eventually get emotional – annoyed, angry and well, a bit sensitive. (Again, generally this is what occurs. There are those rare handbags who can rebut any briefcase and seem totally calm while she’s at it. Please don’t write me either as I have made allowance for your case also.) What is the result? The content of the debate is irrelevant; the true winner in this duel is the one who remains calm and unrattled (almost always the briefcase) and the loser leaves the conversation irritated and with higher blood pressure (almost always the handbag). So the real moral of the story is to let duelling be left to men. After all, that’s what chivalry was all about back in the day when it was more prevalent…

After all this explanation, the YH turned to TTB and said, “But, I still don’t understand!” TTB sighed and then the perfect analogy dawned on her. “YH, imagine that you are the U.S. Government.” YH nodded eagerly. “And imagine that Briefcase 1 over there is a terrorist.” YH looks a bit confused but agrees to imagine such a thing. “Imagine that the terrorist has a list of demands of the U.S. What should the U.S. Government do?” “Well, I’m not really sure?” said YH. “They should ignore them,” TTB said bluntly. “Why?” asked YH. “It’s very simple: negotiating with terrorists gives them the impression that they have some influence over that independent state’s affairs. The best thing to do is to ignore their demands and eventually they’ll lose interest. You see it’s not about the actual thing they may want – like the content of the conversation we discussed earlier. It’s the attention they receive and the impact it makes on that nation that keeps their terrorism thriving. That’s basic psychology for you.” “Mmm, I don’t think I understand where you’re going with this,” lamented the unconvinced YH. “Ok, think about one of those dreadful action flicks that you’ve watched. What do the U.S. Government never do when terrorist are involved in well, acts of terror?” Suddenly and with absolute delight the Young Handbag came to one of the most fundamental epiphanies any strong-willed handbag should have, “They never negotiate with terrorists!”

And neither should you!

Yours sincerely
TTB

The trouble with children’s thoughts…

…is that they are so amusing and often have more honest insight into the complexities of relationships than adults would like to admit! TTB recently came across these priceless responses by some handbags and briefcases in the making:

How do you decide who to marry?
No person really decides before they grow up who they’re going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you’re stuck with.
- Kristen (Aged 10)

How can a stranger tell if two people are married?
You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids.
- Derrick (Aged 8)

What do you think your mom and dad have in common?
Both don’t want any more kids.
- Lori (Aged 8)

What do most people do on a date?
Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough.
- Lynette (Aged 8)

On a first date, they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date.
- Martin (Aged 10)

When is it okay to kiss someone?
When they’re rich…
- Pam (Aged 7)

Hope this made you smile. Until next time!
TTB

The trouble with romance

Dear TTB

Yesterday I went on my first date with…well…I’m not really sure what to call him. I guess, he’s my friend but he is heading towards becoming my boyfriend. Maybe we’re in Bermuda? Anyhow, I am sure you are going to be so horrified by this and I really need your advice about what to do next. He took me to McDonald’s! I was so shocked. Of all the places in the world, he took me to McDonald’s! I had dressed up and everything. We had a good time but I’m just not sure if this should go any further. I mean he is obviously not romantic and probably doesn’t understand me since he took me to the most unromantic restaurant IN THE WORLD! (Can I even call it a restaurant?) Is this relationship doomed? Should I jump ship now? How should I tell him that I don’t want to see him again?

Thanks for taking the time to write back to me.

From
Girl looking for romance

Dear Girl looking for romance

Good on you for going on a date! I am sorry to hear that it did not meet your expectations. Firstly I must ask you a few questions before advising you on this situation. Did he collect you for the evening or arrange to meet you somewhere that was convenient for you? Did he open doors for you and allow you to order first? Did he make good conversation and show an interest in your life? Did you have fun? Did he make sure you got home safely? If you answered mostly no to the questions above: jump ship. If mostly yes, then I think your date was probably far more successful than you think!

Often relationships start off with dramatic shows of “romance”: dinner at The Vineyard, dozens of red roses and tons of Lindt Chocolate, only to crash and burn ending in a break up at McDonald’s. (Because no one wants to pay for a break up meal at the Five Flies) The classic charmer type engages in this sort of extravagance. Believe me, you want to stay well away from those types! They are in it for the chase and once the excitement has worn off they become bored and flit off to their latest conquest. Handbags are usually totally taken by their charm and end up smitten and then ultimately heartbroken. You my dear, should be in search of salt of the earth type. Not a charmer. Aside from learning the difference between the illustrious charmer and the wonderful salt of the earth type, I also think you need to rethink what your concept of romance is.

Handbags the world over have some very strange ideas about what romance is. I do pity briefcases. Handbags sometimes have the most impossible demands in the quest to feel “romanced”. I am afraid to say I have a feeling that you might be one of these impossible handbags. I hope I am wrong but if I am correct, do not fear The Turquoise Bag is here! My aim is to reform your ideas in just one blog entry! As Maria von Trapp pointed out, it’s always best to start at the very beginning and I am sure she would point us in the direction of a good, old dictionary to find out what romance is? The Oxford Dictionary defines romance as, “a general term that refers to the attempt to express love with words and deeds.” (Note here that the definition does not include spending oodles of cash on expensive restaurants.) It’s all about the Facta et Verba. Now ask yourself the question: Can this briefcase truly be in love with me in such a short space of time? The short answer is: no! Can you thus have an expectation of him to be expressing this sort of romantic love if he’s just getting to know you? NO! So TTB thinks, my dear, that it’s really you who needs the wake up call and not him!

Handbags and briefcases sometimes fall into the trap of being in love with well, being in love. (This is classic charmer psychology.) They like the wining and dining, the chasing or being pursued, they love sending the roses and receiving them, they LOVE LOVE LOVE the flirting in those early days of getting to know each other. But do they love the other person? Nope. Will they ever love the other person? Nope. Why? Because this sort of narcissistic, “romantic” dating is all about me, me, me and my selfish desires to feel like someone dotes on me. In this case the so-called “romance” is just a tool to make someone feel in love as opposed to loving someone and then becoming more romantic as you get to know them. It’s the wrong way round! Don’t fall into this trap of confusing the two. It’s so much better to start off with a first date in McDonald’s and end with a romantic engagement at (insert your favourite place for a perfect engagement)! As opposed to the alternative I suggested earlier of starting off feeling “romanced” but ending up heartbroken.

Romance is not a briefcase emptying his piggy bank to take you to the most expensive restaurant – that’s just foolishness! Romance is not remembering every single anniversary. (Some handbags get very carried away with this. They want to commemorate the day they met, the day they started dating, the day they first said those 3 magic words, never mind important dates like that of your wedding…I mean, really it gets a bit much.) And the poor old briefcases get terrible tongue lashings or a bout of the silent treatment - depending on what sort of handbag she is - should these VID’s (very important dates) be forgotten. Romance is not red roses, expensive gifts and tons of chocolate. I don’t think it is anything tangible (or fattening for that matter). In fact this kind of wining, dining and chocolating is very bad for any handbags’ BMI…

Now, you might be wondering if TTB has a vendetta against romance. Let TTB be very clear: she is very in favour of handbags being romanced by the salt of the earth type, provided this happens in the correct order, first love then romance. So now you’re thinking, “Okay, TTB thanks for telling me how useless my ideas about romance is, but can you tell me what romance is after your exposition of what it isn’t.” Well, it’s difficult to say what form romance will take in your relationship because it’s very dependent on who you are and what you appreciate. For some people who find themselves in the uppermost socioeconomic group, romance may include expensive restaurants and fine wine. For others it’s letter writing, or speeches of words of affection or finding a single flower pinned to your front door. The long and the short of it is that romance is about being thoughtful and intentional about spending time together and doing the simple things that you know will be appreciated by the other person and remind them that you love them. TTB is just going to reiterate that the love already has to be there it can’t be conjured up by these displays of romance. (TTB believes in repetition, repetition, repetition!)

In conclusion, it’s about the quality of the time and not the quality of the food. If you’re looking for fine dining and wining, you had better find yourself a Donald Trump. (I am not convinced that this would be a good option particularly as he has told young Tiger to continue being a playboy. Honestly.) So, my advice is give this briefcase a chance. Rome wasn’t built in a day. If you are meant for each other, the romance will come all on its own once you are really falling in love. Manners maketh the man; not the restaurant he takes you to.

Yours sincerely
TTB

PS I happen to be a big fan of the golden arches. Just an indulgence every now and then especially when I find myself in Pinelands. Or back in Asia and need something a little Western to remind me of home so don’t write me again if you haven’t anything good to say about Ronald McDonald and his team.

PPS. Stop worrying about being in Bermuda. Clearly you’re not, because he asked you out on a date. Asking girls out on dates takes some guts, courage and determination. Do you honestly think this briefcase would be putting himself out there and asking you out if he wasn’t keen? Hang onto him – sounds like a keeper!

The trouble with Feminism

Dear Readers

TTB has recently been accused of being a feminist by some briefcases. She wants to make it very clear that she is not a feminist. Just a handbag who tells it like it is. She is totally on the side of love (and wearing bra’s) and acknowledges that sometimes handbags are a real pain, as are briefcases. She doesn’t think that handbags are perfect or superior in anyway. (If you’re a briefcase and you’re reading this – don’t get all excited and think that TTB is by default saying that briefcases are superior. She doesn’t believe that either) Just different. And sometimes (wait, who is TTB fooling, most times) they just don’t understand each other. So the purpose of this blog is to make handbags think before they let their emotions get the better of them and to make briefcases (who happen to stumble across this blog) consider wising up with a bit of Emotional Intelligence.

Yours sincerely and on the side of better handbag-briefcase relations,
TTB

The trouble with being homeless and unemployed

TTB has enjoyed a frivolous break from the serious but is back in the saddle tackling social issues and turns her attention this week to homelessness and unemployment.

As you may know, The Turquoise Bag spent 4 months last year as a nomad and had a taste of what ‘homelessness’ was like. Well, not really, she always had a roof over her head provided by her kind friends and family but this sojourn reignited a passion for the plight of the homeless and unemployed. So when she read an article the other day in The Tatler about CID (which stands for City Improvement District) she was horrified to read that part of the mandate of UCT’s CID project was “management of the homeless”. Management of the homeless, I say. Whoever thought of such a concept? It sounded as if this group was proposing setting up a business called Homeless Incorporated and were going to set about well, managing homeless people. Mmmm… TTB does not think the homeless need ‘managing’ (which is really just a euphemism for “making sure the homeless find another suburb to bother”) but they do need homes!

During this nomadic time of utter chaos and moving from house to house as documented in her entry ‘The trouble with being unthankful’, TTB really learned to be ever so thankful for having a house, running water and transport. You see, it’s once your life’s routine is thrown out the back window that you realize how very nice that front door is that you have – however humble it may appear to your covetous eyes. For a long time TTB has been considering this issue of poverty. This blog entry is by no means a definitive exposition of that hefty question: Why there is suffering in the world? C.S. Lewis can definitely say a whole lot more than she can on this subject. The philosophy of suffering would take an age to understand and even then we would still be lost for answers. However the more and more TTB lives in this uncertain world, the more this handbag clutches (pardon the pun!) onto the one thing she is sure of: God has the answers to it all! So, TTB has been humbly asking God to show him some of His ways to change this world.

One only has to drive around the streets of Cape Town for half an hour to find that there are hundreds of thousands of homeless and unemployed people living on the streets. If TTB were to give 1 South African raant to every homeless person she encounters, she’d be bankrupt within a few days! So then, what is a handbag to do? After all handing out a raant here and there might actually do more damage than good to most street people by perpetuating this lifestyle of living on the streets and drug and alcohol dependency. She does not think that all homeless people are on the streets by choice or because of substance abuse. Bad circumstances and a fallen world are often to blame. In fact she is happy to admit that her research into the reasons for why homeless people end up on the streets is very limited. Either way, handing out money to people on the side of the road is not a sustainable solution.

She has been particularly inspired by the work several people she knows have been doing with an organization called U-turn. U-turn has several projects on the go that have a sound philosophy of rehabilitation of street people underpinning it. U-turn uses a 3 step plan: making contact, rehabilitation and reintegration. One of the ways they have endeavoured to make contact with street people is through meal and clothing vouchers. A pack of 5 meal/clothing vouchers is sold at R20 at outlets around the city like The Engen Garage in Main Road, Claremont or Juta Stores in Dreyer Street. Vouchers can also be bought from the U-turn website. Recognising that many people like TTB often want to do something practical for street people but end up giving them money out of guilt or by default, U-turn sells vouchers that can be given to the homeless and then redeemed by them at the U-turn warehouse. They can use these vouchers for food or for an item of clothing and this also works as a means for street people to be introduced to U-turn and if they are willing to make changes, work with the organization to better their lives. Thus, people who genuinely want help are being assisted.

TTB thinks this a great way for people of the public who have a heart for the poor and want to help them in a constructive way to get involved. This way, you are contributing to a reputable organization that is not working on a “hand out” system and thus never encourages change in the individual nor are you giving money to someone who may lack the responsibility to use it for food. Purchasing meal vouchers ahead of time, also means that you are being intentional about caring for the poor and will not hand out cash at the next robot because you are guilt-ridden. Your guilt because of your abundance won’t make a difference anyway! But your cheerful generosity will! Check out their website: www.homeless.org.za