Circle of Friends

A Couple of weeks ago I started giving private music lessons at Hoekwil Primary. (as if I have the time...haha....but that is another story for another day- for now- I pretend that I do have time and do it anyway.) My magnificent classroom (a full 6sqm- cracked yellow wall the works) looks out over the rugbyveld, which also doubles as the school playground during breaktime. (It also doubles as a cricket field, Soccer field, athletic field and the school concert happens in a marque tent that is pitched for the ocasion!) Anyway....so I was looking from my macnificent classroom, staring over the playground, when suddenly all hell broke loose. I rushed to my veranda (for funsake, let's call it that...) and was greeted by a boy running towards the school yelling that a girl (I think her name was Luna or some other moony name) was stung by a bee. Like one army all the girls in her classroom made a circle around Luna and helped her (almost carried her) to reach the school office. On their way there they all had a simpathetic ear to Luna's wining about how this was the worst pain she had ever felt (lucky girl if you ask me). Lines like "ag shame man don't worry"..." it must be terrible...don't worry, it will soon feel better"... and ..."poor Luna" where thrown around seemlessly. This for me was a memorable happening, not because my life is so pathetic, but because I realised something about grown-ups. When do we stop making little protective circles around our friends? When do we stop to stop whatever we are busy with to listen to a friend who might need us? When do we stop to put some effort into telling people that everything will be alright- and believe ourselves when we say it? All of a sudden one day we wake up and we just don't care... Sounds kinda stupid, don't you think?