She was trying to be something they were not.
If you understand my meaning.
I’m not Meg Ryan .
And to be brutally honest I’m not Tom Hanks either.
And life isn’t a Rom Com with linear lines of sight towards the final reel.
Life is a bit messy and it shouldn’t be left to serendipity and the action of others.
I’ve booked a short Airbnb holiday, and another film course on zoom. I’ve arranged to join another choir ( the LGBTQ Proud Mary’s in Chester and my Filofax with the birds on it is full of tickets for plays and films and comedy club nights and gigs all planned to be seen between now and the summer.
I’ve saved and sorted money for the new bathroom and cottage repairs and have let go of the field and I’ve made a score of new firm friends over the past year and even made earthward spoons which look like a caveman has designed them.
And life is still not a rom com and that’s ok.
The night shift has been long tonight.
Perhaps too long.
It goes like that sometimes when the patients are settled and medicated appropriately and symptoms of cancer and of illness are soothed and minimised .
Normal sleep is the desired and necessary outcome.
A colleague placed a gift in front of me earlier
Two expensive scotch eggs, bought with thought and care
And I thought that those Scotch eggs are the real life most of us are lucky to have.
A snippet of affection from someone
A laugh at a play
Or a gossip with a friend over lunch.
A good film,
So so tickets at the Royal Ballet,
Singing and on line learning and being friends
I’m not Meg Ryan,
but I can be a passable Rosie O’Donnell
This isn’t a moan or a plea for positive affirmations…so,don’t leave any please
It’s just a collection of thoughts and observations
About stuff……….
It's just a very good and fun post to read tonight, John! Good for you!
ReplyDeleteJust a collection of thoughts
DeleteIt was a long night
Yes, this life.
ReplyDeleteYes….I like the After Life quote by Penelope Wilton
Delete“ happiness is amazing , so amazing it doesn’t matter if it’s yours or not”
Can't wait to see a video of The Proud Marys. They sound a hoot!
ReplyDeleteWatch this space
DeleteLove this meandering post as I am about to head for bed.
ReplyDeleteOh, any night shift can be made much better for you with the kind gift of two Scotch eggs. Bliss just before daylight.
Hugs!
Yes funny where the mind wanders to eh
DeleteYep, life is full of moments we can be delighted by, if we stop and allow it. Little affirmations, given and received. In these times I've learned to appreciate the little things more. Perhaps I'm getting older....
ReplyDeletePS, Wellington has a Gay Choir called the Glamophones. They've been going for many years and put on fabulous concerts. Many years ago I went to one, with a close woman friend, and was presumed to be a gay couple... it was an interesting twist, being in the minority for once!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to our worldxx
DeleteI am a former member of the Glamaphones, and friends with may still. And I love this post - john your musings so often remind me to breathe in and appreciate the moment, thank you.
DeleteIm not Miriam Margolyes but have the same hair
ReplyDeleteMetoo…..on my chin
DeleteMy life is not as I would have wished but most days there is something unexpected to bring me happiness-2 days ago I saw a large hare which I have never seen around here before-I love hares and have hare earings,bracelet,necklace,rings,cushions,ornaments,pictures etc x
ReplyDeleteI've just seen those spaces-how odd because I never put them there-it must be a hare hop x
DeleteThe animal not a chin growth ?
DeleteOh no John-well not at the moment-it's well moisturised with additional factor 50 year round-plus exercised morning and evening x
DeleteThe spaces are there flis because of typographic alignment, in this case the text is justified on both the left and the right.
Deletewell fancy that!-and thank you x
DeleteYes, we all bumble along, sometimes getting things wrong, but, hopefully, mostly getting it right. Little moments of pleasure and affection, mingled with sadness and sometimes, sheer misery. It's all life. Nowt we can do, just hang on tight and enjoy the ride. xx
ReplyDeleteNicely put
DeleteI like to imagine the patients are sleeping peacefully because they know you are working. A good nurse is better than a lot of medication.
ReplyDeleteWho knows x
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI must prooff read better. Take two.
ReplyDeleteYou've got me at last. I want Scotch eggs. I haven't had them since the 1980s and I remember them as being very nice. Do you have them hot or cold?
They should be neither hot nor cold. Room temperature, Andrew. Remember, they were, originally, picnic food.
DeleteU
Scotch eggs are always eaten cold Andrew, unless one happens to have been the cook making them at home and then one might eat them straight from the pan but this is rare. My mother always made our Scotch Eggs and we would occasionally eat them as soon as they were finished. As Ursula said, they were/are considered a picnic food, eaten with salad on sunny days.
DeleteIdeally the egg should be slightly cold ( from a fridge) as it keeps its shape better
DeleteThe yoke should be oozing slightly too
Do you have marks and Spencer’s food down under
DeleteNo M&S down under. Room temperature sounds good Ursula. Rachel my partner used to make them from scratch, cook them in a deep fryer and serve them with vegetable as a meal, but I have had bought ones too from a Scottish butcher, long gone.
DeleteLife is what happens while we're making other plans - so true. I try to celebrate the moment, whether it's admiring a beautiful sky at sunrise, or simply enjoying a proper cup of tea. Or a Scotch egg, of course.
ReplyDeleteYes……and don’t sweat the small stuff, that helps too
DeleteIt's so good to have plans and things to look forward to but sometimes special things happen along the way. Had to smile at the name of the Proud Marys. :)
ReplyDeleteYes great name , I like the choir because it’s mixed with lesbians too
DeleteQuite so, John. All the messy random thoughts and plans that tumble in when you get an unexpected pause for thought. Positive, creative, fun and useful thoughts. It's called life is for the living, and you are doing that. The easiest thing of all is to turn into a blob in an armchair whingeing that there is nothing on tv in the afternoons. Well done, you! Onwards and ever upwards!
ReplyDeleteI’m still a blob but at least I’m moving lol
DeleteNot only should we not expect our own lives to be perfect, we should realise that others do not have perfect lives either, despite Insta and 'best face forward'. Most people are just doing the best they can with what they have.
ReplyDeleteWe are all in the same ( sort of) boat
DeleteLovely comments for a lovely bloke.
ReplyDelete🤫
DeleteSome peoples lives are less perfect than other peoples less perfect lives.
ReplyDeleteNicely put
DeleteYou have better tits than Meg Ryan x
ReplyDeleteAt last the best reply
DeleteLife is definitely messy! As you say it's all just stuff that we need to make the most of. Making plans but also living in the moment - especially if it's a pleasant one such as you describe. The new choir sounds fun.
ReplyDeleteMaking it to fake it….
DeleteThis post is why I love your blog, John! It's a sampler of a real life, unlike some blogs which seem to be about perfect lives, along with perfect photos. I cannot relate to them. I can relate to you, and isn't that what we all really want, is connection? I imagine in your line of work, you've seen what a lifetime of disconnection can do to people, especially at the end of life. Thanks for sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly with us.
ReplyDeleteThis moved me Karla, thank you.
DeleteI don’t want to bang on all of the time, but this blog was and has always been a journal as well as a pastime
Warts and all eh ?
I hope you enjoy the Proud Marys! I love LBBTQ choirs!
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed my first visit is next Monday
DeleteIt is what we make of it. It is the sum of the choices we make.
ReplyDeleteThat’s deep x
DeleteI Love the way you talk.I think Glyn ( husband ) is from Hillsborough area,Lamb Road.xx
ReplyDeleteThat’s more wadsley bridge but not far
DeleteAnd there is never a shortage of stuff.
ReplyDeleteToo much stuff sometimes dear pat
DeleteNobody's life is a rom-com. Which is why they're so popular, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteAnd you capture the perfectly everything in one line
DeleteAs the world spins, so do our lives. Making connections and enjoying life to the best of our best ability is the name of the game.
ReplyDeleteA game indeed x
DeleteJohn, I'll say it again, you elevate the ordinary.
ReplyDeleteLol, not a statement I ever hear x lol
DeleteYou seem stressed and annoyed---tired? Good to have things planned.
ReplyDeleteDoes this mean you have resigned from the previous choir?
No I’m not resigning
DeleteI’m not stressed annoyed or tired
I’m not sure what I am x
I love that After Life quote - it always makes me smile when I see someone else full of happiness. I can spend hours at airport arrivals - the look of sheer joy on people's faces when loved ones come through the door ♥️ Your scotch eggs look scrummy!
ReplyDeleteYes, the best bit out of LOVE ACTUALLY
DeleteSo many times we find ourselves looking for perfection. It rarely happens, does it? Your post was an excellent reminder that what does come is generally good.
ReplyDeleteFake it to make it
DeleteHi John, I don't comment much these days but I read your blog often. xxx
ReplyDeleteNice to have you still here x
DeleteNo not Meg Ryan and definitely not Tom Hanks. More of a Mrs. Doubtfire.
ReplyDeleteErrrr thanks
DeleteLife isen't perfect but making the best of it is. I always try to have something to look forward to big or small and thankful for the friends I can share with.
ReplyDelete