Le Weekly #22 – Vida Choc 🍫
One quote, one word, one shoutout, one story, one neigh from Philosophical Horse and one question.
Greetings everyone. Happy Monday!
Take a moment to reflect on each snippet. Comment your thoughts below.
Le Quote 🗣
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” – Tony Wright.
When typed into Google, the quote above actually pops up as a dictionary result categorised as a proverb. As a result, it blends this week’s Quote and Word:
Le Proverb 🪑
Nothing ventured, nothing gained (proverb) you can’t expect to achieve anything if you never take any risks.
Le Word 💬
venture (noun) a risky or daring journey or undertaking.
Le Shoutout 🧣
James, Tom, and Joe plan to run 50km every day for five days starting tomorrow morning and ending with the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon on Saturday, all to raise money for 3x charities.
Collectively known as Get With It, the three friends have raised R256 000 so far and aim to raise a total of R400 000 by the end of the week.
When asked what they’d like to share with Le Readers, they said, “Just that we encourage everyone to come run with us, no matter the distance! We’re starting at 06h00 every morning this week at The Deck on Beach, Mouille Point!”
(Le Editor note: I’m joining for 8km tomorrow and, if schedule permits, Thursday.)
To read more about their story or donate to the project, click here!
Let’s #GetWithIt. Shoutout James, Tom, and Joe.
Warning: Experimental newsletter layout inbound. Pretend like you’re reading a very short book printed on actual paper.
Le Story ✍️
Dedicated to Queen Phumza, Stretch, Rusta, Golden, Cobisa, Penelope, Ahlil, Stuart, Donovan, and Lwazi.
PREFACE
Heather Clancy’s masterfully casual Substack newsletter about love is titled You’re in Lovestack. In her latest Instagram story, she shared a quote that said:
“always remember that love always come back to u. in a different form, different person, different hobby, different touch. but in any way, love will always come back to you…”
CHAPTER ONE
At Vida, they always give you a little chocolate with your coffee.
CHAPTER TWO
On Sundays, the municipal car guards don’t come to work.
CHAPTER THREE
Outside the Dean Street shops, a man nicknamed Rusta looks after your car (even when the municipal car guards are there).
CHAPTER FOUR
Rusta has a good relationship with most people who frequent the Dean Street Vida. He greets everyone enthusiastically and shares fist bumps.
CHAPTER FIVE
I sometimes go to the Dean Street Vida myself.
Yesterday, after drinking a Vida coffee, I picked up my bag, left the café and walked towards my car. I wasn’t carrying cash, so I told Rusta, “Sorry, I don’t have cash on me today.”
CHAPTER SIX
The little chocolates at Vida are like gifts pre-wrapped in red foil; they provide a perfect injection of sweetness without any threat of eating more than you should.
On this particular day, I didn’t feel like eating my chocolate, so I thought I’d give it to Rusta. Sharing your Vida chocolate with someone else always feels good.
But, having just told him I had no money for parking, the voice in my head said, “You can’t give him the chocolate; it will seem condescending!”
“Why?” I asked.
“From his perspective, it might look like you think his services are worthy of free chocolate,” it replied.
CHAPTER SEVEN
I didn’t give him the chocolate. To be fair, he didn’t even know I had a chocolate.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“All good, brudda,” Rusta said in response to my lack of cash, smiling at me while the chocolate burned a hole in my pocket.
We gave each other a first bump.
CHAPTER NINE
After a few steps, I turned around and called out.
“Hey, Rusta, do you want my Vida chocolate from today?”
“Please,” he said, “I’ll give it to my son.”
CHAPTER TEN
I handed him the chocolate.
He accepted the chocolate.
He put his fist out.
We first bumped again.
I got into my car and drove home.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
While in the car, I reflected that I almost didn’t give him the chocolate because the little voice in my head nearly convinced me that it would be condescending to give him a chocolate. The little voice in my head almost stripped Rusta of the opportunity to give his son a chocolate later that day.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Within the space of ten seconds, the little Vida chocolate went from burning a hole in my pocket to shining a light in Rusta’s hand.
EPILOGUE
I’d like to think that Rusta’s son enjoyed the chocolate, and I’d like to believe that Rusta enjoyed giving his son the chocolate as much as I enjoyed giving the chocolate to Rusta.
Le Neigh from Philosophical Horse 🐴
“Neigh.” – Philosophical Horse
Le Question 🤔
Have you ventured? When will you venture? What will you venture? Where will you venture? How will you venture?
Have a great Monday, everyone!
Previous Newsletters:
(Remember to send this to someone who you think would enjoy Le Weekly)
Street Light 💡 Growth Spurt 📈 Tan Lines ☀️ Steam Train 🚂 Parked Car 🚗 Russ Bus 🚌 Being New ✨ Coffee Coffee ☕️ Leopard Picture 🐆 Clare’s Exhalations 🌸 Boiled Potatoes 🥔 Back Shampoo 🧼 Muscular Swallows 🐦 Long Wood 🪵 Impactful Leaf 🍃 Vulnerable Ankles 🦵 Sea Sea TV 📸 Treadmill Queue 💦 Lemonade 🍋 Meat Factory 🥩 Woolworths Maternitywear 👚
Mike, thanks for being the Vida Choc in our lives – providing us all with a little bit of sweetness on these increasingly cold mornings :)
Honoured to be mentioned in my favourite newsletter, thank you! 💗🥹