I write this on a public holiday and level 3 of South Africa’s national lockdown. I can’t help but
think what I would have done if we were not in lockdown. The first thing that comes to mind
is a braai with my family. The last glimpse of summer is shining as autumn has crept in quite
quickly and winter is here. On the contrary, I am sitting inside with my heater on, and longing
for that day full of hugs, kisses and laughter. I am not that kind of person that can wake up
late, watch movies on my sofa for hours on end and amble through my days. I’ve always
been ruthlessly independent, a go-getter. Unstoppable actually. The kind of woman that
loves the to-do list as long as the Champs-Elysees. A girl that loves the beat of the streets,
the effervescence of life – hey, I even get a kick out of manic, stressful situations. I’m just
wired this way. I love making things happen. I do not love listening to Baby Shark on repeat
(200 and 26 times) or playing a thousand versions of “peek a boo”? As a first time mom, I
have undoubtedly been revelling in the precious time I’ve had with my 8-month old baby girl –
time with her I know can never be relived – but I am, a confessed career Mom – longing for
my business – my second baby; she’s been latched away for too long, without any joy.
Together with my husband, I launched my new events business end July 2019 –
FineLine Events. After 7 years with South Africa’s largest, and most loved chain of beauty
salons, I decided to leave my marketing position and focus on my passion: event
coordination. Weddings, mainly.
“There is a fine line between a good event and a great event,” Brent said, one day,
somewhere between deciding on the red sneakers or the blue ones. And so the name was
born. FineLine Events – a love-child, really, created from a common appreciation for social
gatherings and an eye for the finer things in life.
I found out I was pregnant when we launched – but that did not stop the fire starter in
me. I put my heart and soul into every detail, every pantone colour, every web word – and
then my clients and their big moments too, and the planning of life changing occassions. I
began to love every second of it. Some months in, and our name was just being murmured
at breakfast hook-ups and dinner tables. We were on the up, I could feel the excitement
coursing through my body; life was beautiful. And then, just like that, it wasn’t.
Covid19. A time in my life that changed everything. Everything. I watched the signs
go up all around me, “Closed”, “Postponed” “Until Further Notice” and the most gruelling “We
regret our Wedding has been cancelled.” My heart must’ve cracked into a million tiny pieces,
one blow after the next. The most special day of a couples’ life had been erased. For our
business this was devastating, but mostly, our ache came for the joy of living, being
cancelled.
Today, I write this heading into our 5 th month of lockdown, – a removal of everything
we love to do, and a long long wait for an events business, like FineLine, to return to
calendars and our couples. I miss connecting with my clients, with my family, with my world.
I miss feeling human. I dream of the day when we can put this nightmare behind us, get
back out there and help bring happiness to people’s lives again. I look into my daughter’s
eyes, and she reminds me that miracles do happen; and that the unexpected is a gift; and
that timing happens for us, not to us. Perhaps I’m learning this is a time to reminisce on
things gone by; to allow ourselves to ache for what we long for, but not to forget that ‘life’ is
the event itself, and deserves to be treated that way, no matter the strife. I’ve also learnt that
while events can be postponed, Love can never be cancelled – because it’s infinite and its all
around us all of the time; I started my business on love, for love and to see people unite in
their love – true to what I know, FineLine Events is a love brand – and no matter how long
this takes, we will be back, stronger, wiser – with an “I do” and a champagne pop!
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