After experiencing a crime, Sandhya Bhola refused to let it become the narrative of her story; instead, she sought to find the good in South Africa.
South Africa (25 March 2025) – We hear it all too often that the bad outweighs the good in South Africa. There is just so much of it, so how could there possibly be anything good? And yet, for the past decade, our incredible team have continued to find the good. The goal is not to stick our heads in the sand and pretend there are only good things; our goal is to provide a space that gives life in South Africa some balance.
For Sandhya Bhola, that search for balance came in 2018 after she became the victim of a crime in South Africa. Determined not to let the fear of the event become the narrative for her life, Sandhya sought out good things and found Good Things Guy in the process.
Shanhya reached out to share how she found light, kindness, hope and a restored faith in humanity after stumbling on the Good Things Guy platform. In her letter, she details her struggles and how she was able to overcome them, as well as sharing two valuable lessons she learned about looking for the good in South Africa.
Finding the Good (Things Guy) – By Sandhya Bhola
In 2018, I was a victim of a crime.
That day, the thief left with more than just the material things. He left with my sense of safety, my mental stability and my belief in justice.
I omit the details … but in summary, it took me weeks off work, months without driving, the patience of loved ones, the unending grace of God and years of therapy (combined with medication) to return to my joyful self.
Through the darkest of those days, I simply could not exist in the world. I remember going to a store and thinking that everyone was a threat. Every noise sounded like my imminent pain and life itself was a danger. The news was an absolute no-go area for me. I could barely deal with my own trauma and certainly couldn’t begin to accept how tough the world really seemed to be.
Here enters the Good Things Guy.
As I slowly began to try transitioning back to the world, I discovered the Good Things Guy, and suddenly, I was able to read the news again. The Good Things Guy told me about the good things that were still happening. He told me about the wins and the triumphs. The hope.
With small, steady steps, I could go back to this beautiful life, and through those tough days, the Good Things Guy reminded me how good things still were. He reminded me that if we focus on the good, we can get better, we can feel better, and we can be better.
Fast forward to 2025, and I’m still a fan of the good things. When all the noise of the world is too loud and I need something to remind me of what really matters… I go back to the good things.
Incredibly, I even had an article posted by Good Things Guy last year, and my heart is simply overjoyed. It’s my hope that just as all those stories gave me hope, maybe my story will give someone hope, too.
While this part of my journey has been difficult, I’ve learnt these important lessons:
1. Good things and good people surround us; and
2. We can be part of the good things, and we can be good people. No matter what.
Sandhya Bhola shared her message in the hope of showing that where there is danger and crime in South Africa, there is also hope. Her story highlights the exact reason why Good Things Guy exists today: to help people find balance when the world feels scary. And let’s be honest, it feels scarier every year!
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