To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before…

To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before…
To all the girls I've loved before
Who travelled in and out my door
I'm glad they came along
I dedicate this song
To all the girls I've loved before

To all the girls I once caressed
And may I say I've held the best
For helping me to grow
I owe a lot I know
To all the girls I've loved before

To all the girls who shared my life
Who now are someone else's spouse’s
I'm glad they came along
I dedicate this song
To all the girls I've loved before

To all the girls who cared for me
Who filled my nights with ecstasy
They live within my heart
I'll always be a part
Of all the girls I've loved before

The winds of change are always blowing
And every time I try to stay
The winds of change continue blowing
And they just carry me away…

By Julio Iglesias

The Best

I met Tshego’ at the height of my tumultuous adolescent years. I was dazzled by her majestic natural beauty and enchanting elegance, her radiant sensuality and unassuming modesty not to mention her delightful wit and sharp intellect. Our childhood romance bore the hallmark of a flamboyant, fiercely exhilarating, unrestrained, dizzy, indulgent union of budding teenage lovers.

With time however, irrepressible juvenile restlessness set in and I inadvertently succumbed to the whims of the decadent debaucheries of the fellowship of the single male culture. I veered off course. My predatory male instincts took over and I went belle prowling, enjoying fair field time in the indignant playboy league. Footloose and fancy free I acquired notoriety for running amok in the hollow virile pursuit of ’sugar, spice and all things vice’. My sojourns in the landmine and pitfall littered wilderness of intemperance were fueled by a maverick machismo and an ebullient wickedly wild indulgence in women, wine and song that was occasioned by a blighting fear to commit.

Inevitably, like a mongrel that chases every vehicle that passes by, my salacious happy-go-lucky reputation soon exhausted me, emotionally, physically and financially. I was whacked, rattled and bruised by the hard knocks of the dating game. Battered, I sobered to the reality of my situation and immersed myself in introspection. I searched my soul for the purpose of my being and what I really wanted out of life. The answer had always been right in front of me but I’d been in denial. The inimitable flame that Tshego’ had ignited in me all those many years ago had persistently glowed in the depths of my soul. The realization and acknowledgement of her soul fire confirmed to me that our union was ordained in destiny.

Consumed by penitence for my wayward ways, I sought divine intervention for spiritual healing for my ravaged and aching heart and prayed for a reunion with my childhood sweetheart. Without fail, my prayers were answered and an overwhelming sense of peace descended upon me as Tshego’ wiped my slate clean and heralded a fresh beginning for us. As I held her once again in my arms, I felt instant soul connection, a feeling that said to me, ‘The time for this itinerate doyen of bachelorhood to heed the wise counsel of the heart and surrender to the emotion of love had finally arrived’. I learnt my lesson and graduated from ’boys to men’.

Today I stand at the crossroads of my life, rattled slightly by prenuptial jitters. I glance over my shoulder and Julio Iglesies’ classical song, ‘To All The Girls I’ve Loved Before…’, reverberates in my mind. My heart is warmed by the indelible blissful memories. I thank you all for the passion, the physical, emotional and psychological rendezvous, and Oh, yes! the explosive anointment of the rod. I am beholden to each one of you for helping me grow. I thank you all for all the wonderfully engraved memories. Our experiences shaped who I am today and I am immensely grateful. Today I declare, I am hitched and with the above lyrics, I bid thee farewell, the same goes to my bachelor brethren. My dating game is over, I am spoken for, my nuptials beckon.


As I head off into matrimony’s promising horizon, to become a dutiful husband and nurturing father, a sense of peace descends on me with the conviction that I have been blessed with true love. The epic journey has been long and winding, but in the end I have come full circle and found what I have been looking for. I have had my share of the thrill of the chase, but my hunter-gather days are over now. My meals will now be served at home.

I could not have asked for a better wife and mother of my children. Tshego’ is as headstrong as she is loving and nurturing. She is at home preparing a scrumptious meal in a three legged pot over an open fire as she is in the boardrooms of the corporate world. My fiancée is a modern woman who prides herself in her strong culture and heritage. She knows where she is coming from and is equally clear with where she’s headed to. Indaba yakhe, ae funi ruler…

As I walk towards the dragnet of hype and emotions that occasions the day of my marital vows, I look into Tshego’s eyes and thank our Heavenly Father for this glorious day, a celebration of our love and commitment to each other. Hand-in-hand we take our maiden step together into the future, a future that is pregnant with promise. A promise of a peaceful and happy life together. Yes! I am truly blessed, and I thank God for such a warm, loving and compassionate partner, a woman of honour and integrity, a lady par excellence, my sangfroid beautiful wife. She is, The Best.