I live opposite a high school in Johannesburg and obtained permission from the authorities to walk my Rottweiler, Helga, on their grounds. We walk early in the mornings when the earth is still nippy, and the smell of dew and moist on acres of the greenest pastures, still flutters through your body. No walk is quite as breathtaking and cheering as an early morning walk in God's vineyard.



We befriended the trees and the birds, and I made Helga promise not to kill anything after giving her the reasons for my request. She understands, I am certain of it, and she has never tried to even chase one of the few hundred birds that reside on the school-grounds. They stroll and totter on the fields and I greet them and talk to them. They are relaxed with us now, something for which I am most grateful.

Of the many trees on the school-grounds, one stood out as particularly old. It was barren, but incredibly beautiful and eminently tall. It's withered and bleak branches stretched beggarly out to the heavens. But it's purpose was not over yet. An abundance of birds resided in the protective arms, high up against the skies. During winter and during summer it was an extremely hectic bird city, full of activity and filled with chattering and chirping. You could sit in the shade of the exorbitant thick trunk and be overwhelmed by the variety of songs.....

Then, one fateful and bleak summer morning when Helga and I walked down in the direction of the tree, we saw one of the most senseless tragedies that I have ever encountered. It was a demolition that pierced and numbed the heart. The bird's tree had been felled and only about two meter of the once forceful trunk was left. Scattered all around the stump were chopped pieces of trunk and splintered bark. Hundreds of homeless and mourning birds in gruesome and macabre shock, sat around destroyed nests.

I will never forget that morning for as long as I breathe. I sat next to the birds and wept with them. Helga sniffed around and looked at me with a thousand questions in her eyes. And I, part of the crown of creation, had no answer for the destructive and insensitive nature of my fellow beings....

Nymph completed her L.T.C.L. in music and drama, and obtained a B.A. Psychology and Philosophy a few years later. She trained as formal singer under various renowned vocal advisers and performed in numerous concerts, recitals, and oratorios. After a car accident that lead to a few neuro surgeries, she began investigating the benefits of deep relaxation and wrote a few books and numerous articles on the subject.