Hi Everyone
Have you ever thought as you walk down a busy street or sit in a crowded bar or restaurant that you have just passed or been near some totally anonymous person who has an amazing story to tell? In my ten years as a building consultant, I would go into up to eight homes a day. I met a lady who was born on the dirt floor in Changi prison in Singapore during WW2 when it was occupied by the Japanese and a Chinese lady who was a close friend of Jung Chang who wrote that wonderful book Wild Swans, the story of three generations of her family in China from the early 1900s to the 1970s. What made it special to meet her was that I had just finished reading the book. That are just two of many amazing people that I met along the way. We all however have a story to tell however mundane it may seem and the reason I am telling you all this Rubbish is that as we approach middle age I do not want our grandchildren to think that we are just very old grandpa and nanny who move a little slower and sometimes forget their names. As they get older they just might want to learn about all the things you have done and experienced and to show that one day you were just like them. So before you finally leave your family behind make an oral or written record of your life for them to remember and follow. You might think that it is all Rubbish but you just might be inspiring their future.
When the Partners were approaching middle age they booked a holiday. As the train journey involved two changes, I decided to take them in my car. When we reached the hotel I was invited to join them for a cup of coffee so I left the Senior Partner in the lounge while I went with the Junior Partner to take the cases to their room. When we arrived back in the lounge the waiter came in with a pot of coffee, a jug of milk two cups and saucers. I was just about to call the waiter back to bring another cup when the Senior Partner said that there was one cup for me and that they would be sharing the other cup. Now you know that she was tight with money but .............! I was reminded of this incident when we went into our local Weatherspoons this week for a coffee after Dot had done some shopping. A very acceptable mug of coffee there costs less than half the price compared to Costa, Starbucks and many other coffee outlets and, in addition, once you have your mug, you can then go back to the machine for as many refills as you like. Can you imagine the reaction of the Senior Partner if she discovered this money saving opportunity? The only problem is that the Junior Partner would have to wait half an hour for his mug of coffee and the last time the Senior Partner bought a mug of coffee it was about 20p.
I have worn glasses since I was five years old. not the same pair of course, but I cannot imagine the Senior Partner buying me more than one pair. I can remember going to the optician nearly every week to have them straightened, free of change of course. Anyway, I learned this week that apparently I have been a nerd for the last eight decades. Four eyes yes, but I cannot remember anyone calling me a nerd, at least not to my face. The other favourite question I was asked was "can you see without your glasses" followed by my usual reply "of course I can but who is asking the question". The word nerd came to my attention this week when I read that a young girl who did not like the nerd emojis (whatever they are) wrote to the Disney organisation saying that none of their animated heroes had been seen wearing glasses. Disney reacted positively making nerds all over the world very happy. As it was a fairly new word to me I looked up the definition of the word nerd. I found two very different definitions. The first one is "a person dedicated to intellectual, academic, or technical pursuits or interests" while the second one is "a person, especially a man, who is not attractive and is awkward and socially embarrassing". I will leave it to you to decide which type of nerd you think I might be.
Just a Thought:
My earliest childhood memory was going to the opticians to get my first pair of glasses. Life before that was just a blur.
Are people born with a photographic memory, or does it take time to develop?
One liner of the decade: King Charles 111 to Mrs Trustworthy when she went to see him this week. "Back again? dear, oh dear".
Trying to keep up.
Brian