Reply To: Wannabefree’s Friday night Blog…

[wannabefreeParticipantParticipant]

Okay… I have a sandwich in hand…

Good evening dear friends.

Something happened this week that countered my wish to experience the joy of sharing…

What if no one else appears to want what I have to offer? What if I’ve got the wrong biscuits, or the skill I’m offering is already being done by someone else? I wanted to play the organ in my local church… No chance… Their instrument is off limits, and my portable just cannot get in… They really don’t want it. Am I muscling in on their ‘glory’.

We are supposed to be there to worship, not perform. Why have so many people left?

Anyway…  A good way around this is to go somewhere where there are small children and babies. It doesn’t always work but, usually, if I smile, they will smile back. Cafes are good for this. No words are spoken, only smiles. I guess that I actually look like a grandad anyway (Old and tired!!!), so, if I’m in a doctors surgery, there are usually a few youngsters about.  That is the joy of sharing… Yes I need a cup of something on the table, to justify being there for the benefit of those running the cafe. But to just sit and watch, can be a real tonic.

For my own grandchildren, I have biscuits. It helps me to cope when they want me to join in with their computer games. Touch screens used to be an issue… Are they clean enough? Well, the one my grandson uses could plant vegetables!!! The same with his glasses. How do they see where they are going?

So… If the computer screen is clean enough for him, then it is for me, mine looking decidedly better than his!

How do you people think about mowing lawns? In the UK at the moment we are just about to start, now that frosts are virtually finished. What is in the grass? Well, we have a lot of dogwalkers on our street… Many carrying those little plastic bags for cleaning up after their dogs. I’ve never seen any on our front lawn… Even though we have a hardstanding with no gates. I will use a small electric rotary mower, which is perfectly sufficient for the job, and grass clippings will go in the council wheeliebin. The grassbox on the mower makes it all easier. (Some people mow in carpet slippers). I won’t be even thinking about what is on the grass. It is all a heck of a lot better than when I used to strim healthcentres… My overalls used to absolutely stink. My children were small at the time and, to the best of my knowledge, were never off school sick…

Gardening is a very good thing to be involved with, even if it is only sitting in the front garden and smiling a cheery hello to the people walking by to and from the shops. (Sometimes it is necessary to force people to smile back at yourself!!)

Another idea for the coming week… Wander into a charity shop, and take a look around. I often pick up the teddies and cuddly toys. Feel the texture in your hands, the softness of the fabric. Remember, everything is pre-loved, nothing is, or ever will be sterile. That is important… We need each other, we share the air, and that is a good thing… It is vital, to build up our natural defences. Without exercise, our muscles would fade and weaken. Thus it is with our immune systems. Reasonably clean is the rule. And the word ‘Reasonably’ is actually quite a vague term. It will vary from person to person, from situation to situation. In other words, we can afford to relax a bit… It is exactly the same in food shops…

So… Let’s see how many smiles we can drag out of other people this week… It will do them a lot of good too. We may be the only person who acknowledges them that day. It is a basic human need… As part of our inner nature as we are.

Okay… That’s it till next Friday, hopefully on time! 22/03/2024. Wow it will soon be April! Be careful not to blink too much, or you’ll miss the bit of sunshine we are desperately hoping for!

Keep positive everyone…

Wannabe