Ever had a moment in time when your intrinsic value as a person has depreciated faster than the Rand?

I have just gone through one such moment and without a deep-seated, grounded foundation of security within myself, it would have shaken me to the core. Actually, let me be honest, even with a deep-seated, grounded foundation, it still shook me to the core.

I had made a lunch arrangement with a very important person in my life. I phoned the day before to confirm and we were all set. Truthfully, I was actually quite looking forward to our time together. As the arrival hour approached, I readied myself in anticipation, lectured the dog not to jump and carry on like the untrained scoundrel she becomes only when visitors appear, and I fluffed the cushions again to make sure the house looked as pretty as a picture.

And then the agreed arrival time was upon me. But it was overtaken by another expectant half hour of waiting, and time slowly meandered on as I watched the postman brave the ferocious scoundrel and I re-fluffed the cushions fifteen extra times.

An hour into my awaited lunch, tummy grumbling and hound ignoring me as she punished me for the lack of materialised visitor, I decided to phone to make sure my important person was alright. Fearfully fighting back horrible visions of a mangled vehicle somewhere en route, I dialed their number. My fingers trembled as I held the handset, nearly dropping the phone as the voice on the other side exclaimed excitedly, “How lovely to hear from you! What a wonderful surprise!”

In that moment, the only mangled wreck I had to face was that of my depreciated value and self-worth, and I gasped breathlessly, already fully knowing the answer, “Did you forget we had a lunch date?”