5 Loaves & 2 Fish Ayanda Sewela

on episode 2, we revisit ideas on friendship, familiarity and grace.
"The ultimate touchstone of friendship is not improvement, neither of the other nor of the self, the ultimate touchstone is witness, the privilege of having been seen by someone and the equal privilege of being granted the sight of the essence of another, to have walked with them and to have believed in them, and sometimes just to have accompanied them for however brief a span, on a journey impossible to accomplish alone." - David Whyte

season 3, coming to you live from the Spotify Greasy Tunes Cafe in Braamfontein.

a few months ago i challenged myself to writing 100-word stories of experiences that i was trying to process, and my tiny newsletter Stories I May Never Tell was born. i shared rhe newsletter with a small group of my friends and vowed to flesh the stories out on the podcast- the first of which is this one; vertigo. recording this episode was challenging. mouthing the words 'sexual harassment' in the same sentence as 'my friend' felt strange. but it was a story that had to be told, to set the tigers free.

in March 2021 i landed up in the ICU for a couple of days and spent a huge chunk of my time listening to Key to love (is understanding) by Badbadnotgood and Jonah Yano. although the song speaks of love in a romantic context, the key to love in all dimensions really is understanding. what greater love is there than to be understood? i felt that key unlock new avenues in the relationships i had with many people around me, then and even now.

*cue the trumpet sounds from Chance The Rapper's "Music is all we got"*

we're back baby! after a long hiatus, 5 Loaves and 2 Fish has returned for its sophomore season. fasten up and hold on tight, because we've entered the big girl league. this season is all about owning our stories and all the parts of ourselves that go along with them, to cultivate authenticity. i've been writing, thinking, talking, shooting and lazing around for these past 8 months and i can't wait for you to experience everything that i've been working on.

"although we've come, to the end of the road, still i can't let go. it's unnatural, you belong to me and i belong to you"

in the season finale of 5 Loaves and 2 Fish i look back at my year in podcasting and announce my indefinite break from podcasting. i'll be taking this time to spend time with the people and things that i love - family, friends, books, mt camera and other hobbies that i haven't had time for. this is an opportunity for rest and rejuvenation before the hustle and bustle begins again on this incessantly spinning hamster's wheel we call life.

thank you all for your unending support and commitment to 5 Loaves and 2 Fish - without you, i could not have filled all 12 of these baskets this past year.

keep well until our paths cross again, or until my sound waves meet your ears again, some day soon

love, Ayanda