A second chance at ringing in 2019

Everybody deserves a second chance, whether it’s at love, sport, baking the perfect chocolate cake, hell, even at life itself. No matter what we manage to cock up, having a second bite at the cherry should be a given.

Realistically speaking, most of us either know someone, or are ourselves, on a second or third marriage, professing this time round to be happier than a pig in mud.

And most of us have to admit that getting everything right all the time is an impossibility. I mean, even the braai king doesn’t always get it spot-on, resorting to a hairdryer to extract the last glow from a dying ember while the pork bangers make a bee-line back to the safety of the fridge.

It seems one of the most difficult goals to achieve first time round is to become insanely wealthy. Stories abound of billionaires who were once – or twice, even up to six times – bankrupt. But with perseverance and hard graft they appear on the Forbes list while the rest of us hardly make the boss’ Christmas list.

And by the way, by graft I mean hard work, not the other graft.

So, if this year did not start well for you, why not give it a second go?

The good news is that a week from today, the Chinese New Year will be celebrated around the globe. What a wonderful opportunity this presents for starting 2019 over.

I will be making some new resolutions while reviving others that were left by the wayside. And why not have another New Year’s Eve party while you’re at it?

Next Tuesday will see the start of the Year of the Pig. People born under the Chinese zodiac Pig sign are thought to be considerate, responsible, independent and optimistic. They are generous and show mercy, enduring other’s mistakes.

Pigs are also considered by the Chinese to have no plans to harm others, and can bring affluence. Consequently, pigs are generally associated with wealth in China.

So, in starting the year over, I plan on picking myself up out of the mud, striving to live like a real Chinese pig, and who knows, maybe I might just stop being the chop.

Danie Toerien.

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