This is a personal story about a lifesize bronze sculpture of a girl on a cow created by artist Anton Momberg. She was created with the title “Are we almost there yet?”.
One evening 10 years ago I got a late-night call from Anton Momberg. He said “Ilse, I have this dream, I really want to make a life-size sculpture of ‘ Are we almost there yet’. At that stage, he was producing small sculptures you could hold easily, so this was a completely new ballpark to his usual work.
“Anton, are you really sure?” was my response.
“Yes Ilse, we’re going to do this.”
Many months and moulds later, she was born.
She was the first of his large sculptures and she was beautiful. She stood at the entrance to my house in Johannesburg.
This isn’t a story about a cow, but about what she represents. It is so much more profound than the naked eye would see. It’s about how impatient we have become in life, it’s the girl atop the cow showing her impatience at the progress they are making. The cow, however, looks completely content with their pace. We have also become extremely materialistic, racing for milestones to achieve, strive and acquire. We rush not only to work but throughout our lives. Have you ever noticed how rushing implies a feeling of lack? A lack of time, a lack of permission, a lack of space in the present moment…. even a lack of space within ourselves.
We, like both the girl and the cow, are all working on different time scales. Some are married at 18, have their own business at 20 and five children by 28. Others finally start living authentically and really experiencing life way past 60. Neither is right or wrong, and there is no rush to hit societal milestones. Our social media feeds are filled with engagements, pregnancy announcements, house purchases and business achievements. We subconsciously feel the need to keep pace with our peers. When our goals are clearly defined, the pace we are currently going will be right for where we want to be.
When I left Johannesburg to embark on my own transformational journey, I took her with me to Luxembourg! She found a new home at the PWC offices there. To fit into her new environment I renamed her from ‘Are we almost there yet’ to ‘Klara’. Klara means ‘clear and bright’, a perfect fit for her new placement at Crystal Park (as the PwC office is named) but also a reminder to keep going and to take time to obtain clarity within your life.
It doesn’t matter how slow we progress. Progress leads us to a clear and brighter future.
Her environment and name changed, but the values she represents remain. Changing your name or environment but not your core values. Think about what you value the most. This could be community, learning, contribution, humour, love or spirituality. Are your values authentic and do you stick by them? If they are subject to change or compromise when you’re around others, maybe it’s time to re-evaluate if they are actually your values or those that others place upon you.
Where is Klara now? She stayed in Luxembourg, imagine having a cow that size in a London apartment! Her story and message, I always take with me. I hope others can also.
