A postscript on 'The Messiness of Life'

I was checking what I'd written on this when the phrase, 'most of us are muddling our way through', struck me. How can I write this? I don't know how others feel. I'm just surmising, assuming - and hoping - that others feel as I do. Wrong; I can't do that, can I.

So I decided to consult the oracle, ie husband!
"Do you feel muddled?" "No!" "Well why didn't you say?" (I had read it to him first on this occasion.) "I didn't like to". (Well that's a turn up for the books; he's usually more than ready, tactfully, of course (I don't think) to point out where I'm going wrong!)
Anyway, don't tell him, but he wouldn't know if he was muddled; and if he did, it wouldn't bother him!

However, I do feel that I need to re-phrase my comments.
Should it be 'many of us' or 'some of us'? Is it a female tendency?

Whatever the answer, I'm still really hoping that it's not just me.
If it is, I'm in trouble!

About reprogramming the brain (i.e. learning to stop rinsing my teeth!!)

On a recent visit to the dentist, I learned, by the by, that rinsing after brushing my teeth with fluoride toothpaste (which is, apparently, ALL toothpaste) is a 'bad thing'. It washes off the fluoride which is supposed to protect them!
But how to stop doing it?! A twice-a-day (tooth)life habit is hard to break, I've found. After three or four days, I was managing to remember about half the time. Even though I might have thought about not doing it beforehand, I'd still find I'd done the deed before I'd realised.

How much of our lives is operated on 'automatic pilot'? How many journeys to work have we made and then thought, "how on earth have I got here!?"

Maybe the present interest in 'Mindfulness' is good but I reckon I should be aiming for some 'mindlessness'. I'm sure my mind is so overfull of 'all-sorts', that there's no room left for being aware of what I'm actually doing. If I manage to work on that, it should, if nothing else, help to make my teeth last longer!

PS This is in appreciation of my very nice dentist and his assistants, for all they've done over the years to keep my teeth on the dental straight and narrow.

An attempt at a poem on Time.

Many years ago, while sitting in the college library,
trying to work but mostly looking through the window,
this fragment of a poem came to me.
I've never been able to complete it satisfactorily, but maybe, that is the poem, just as it is.

Because I still like it, I suppose, (and remember it), I would like to add it as a PS to the post on the passing of time.

                            TIME

       Time, for me, is measured in clouds,
                   Leaves on trees,
        Waiting for the telephone to ring.

        Coffee time, break time, tea time;
  Letting down hems on the children's clothes.

About housework (1) Jan's two golden rules

1. DO THE BITS THAT SHOW FIRST!

2. TIDYING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN CLEANING!

Now you might be thinking, why is she writing about something so basic.
If so, this isn't for you.
However, if, like me, housework doesn't come naturally to you, these basic guidelines might be a help.

For those of you who, along with me, struggle to keep on top of all the things which conspire to make our homes messy, untidy and (perish the thought and don't look too carefully, and whisper the words) dirty and dusty, I d love to share the tips that help me to stay afloat and will expand on them another time for anyone who may be interested.

About the passing of time

I scribbled this thought on a scrap of paper while on a train journey,
looking through the window.

FROM THE PRESENT TO THE PAST VIA THE FUTURE

It is sometimes said that 'time marches on',
but does it actually march
or does it rather slide, unnoticed, past the events of our daily lives.

All of a sudden, seemingly,
what was huge and all-consuming 
in the present moment
is in the past.

Was that 
a year,
two years,
ten years ago,
we say?

Yes, it was;
and here we are now, in today.

About the messiness of life

            Life can be messy and unfair 
and most of us are just muddling our way through it,
       despite appearances to the contrary.

                It is so easy to think 
                that everyone else is
                  'getting it right'
         but this is probably rarely true.

       It helps me to remind myself of this 
           especially when I'm thinking
                    it's just me.

About billionaires and food-banks

I feel absolutely sickened to be a part of a society where I'm told that we have more billionaires per head of population than any other country and yet we're taking tins of food to church each week for the local food-bank.
.
What is going on? Someone, somewhere knows the answer. It's completely wrong.

Another night when I don't feel so tired, I'll write more about this.
I just wanted to register this today.