Tag: dailyprompt

Thoughts 2/6/24

Those things that put a smile on your face

I’ve deviated from the usual WordPress daily prompt, as today just like many other days they seem very much the same.

Alf in his favourite look out position

Today I have decided to write about things that put a smile on your face, and today at just before 6am this morning I had an incident that made me smile. For the reader you will probably be thinking what the heck is he getting all excited about, however for me it means a lot more, there is a story behind it all so let me bring you up to speed.

I have owned dogs pretty much all my life, in our 33 years of marriage we have had 3 dogs all of the same breed a Bichon Frise.

Our latest incarnation, the little fellah that has been with us for 11 years so far is Alfie, a right little sweetheart who I can honestly say has never growled at anyone in all the time we have had him, I don’t think he knows how to.

Anyway Alf has an autoimmune disease that means his skin is trying to kill him, it’s an affliction called Sebaceous Addenitis, He is on tablets that do the same as organ rejection tablets do for humans, quite nasty little packages that have to be handled with care. He also has tumours around his rear end that need daily dressing and cleansing. He’s not well bless him, but he still shows us a wagging tail, and that really pleases me.

Anyway Alf has deteriorated quite swiftly over the last couple of years, he’s gone from a dog that loved to walk miles to one that just goes out the door to do his business, we are lucky if a walk now stretches to ten minutes when we used to be out hours.

I do shift work and when I’m on a night shift I’m usually arriving home sometime just after 05:30 in the morning. I used to love to come home, I’d know Alf would be waiting at the door and we’d go out for a lovely early morning walk, i absolutely loved these walks as they formed part of my routine and it was precious good time out with my companion.

However as Alf’s illness has progressed he’s no longer waiting at the door when I come in, he tends to be so tired and to be honest he rarely gets out of bed before 10am as he seems to sleep for the biggest portion of the day. I really miss our little early morning walks. I miss my lively little lad.

In fact both my wife and I have noticed we are not getting the exercise we used to but that’s another story.

Imagine my surprise this morning when I roll up onto the drive to see Alf sitting in his favourite place on top of the settee looking out the window. My immediate thought was “What’s wrong?” but my wife then puts my mind at ease by saying she got up early to put some washing out and Alf got up with her. I said that was strange as it’s far too early for him but he seemed so bright for a moment, so I asked him if he wanted a walk, so he went straight to the front door I put his lead on him and we did something we haven’t done for best part of a year. We had that early morning walk.

We didn’t go far, we probably managed 10 minutes, but do you know what, I felt like I’d won the lottery, I actually thanked him for the walk gave him a cuddle and told him how much I’d enjoyed it. For that brief moment I was the happiest man alive, strange isn’t it. The sad part is that this will probably be the last time we do this, but for me, for a brief moment early this morning I felt like the happiest man on the planet. Its made my day and made me appreciate all that I have. It’s those little things that matter.

Sorry to go on about it, it’s probably going to mean nothing to you the reader, but for me this is everything, and I had to write about it.

Have a wonderful day in whatever you are doing, and just rejoice in those small nuggets of happiness we all too often ignore and let them pass us by.

Thoughts 1/6/24

Describe one simple thing you do that brings joy to your life.

Contentment

I awake every morning, turn to my right and see the wonderful lady I married 34 years ago. She may have awoken before me and I see her smile, she may be asleep but I watch her breathe.

Either way I am full of thanks and gratefulness that our paths crossed that fateful day we first met.

She is my everything, to wake up with her every day is my simple joy in life.

Have a great day.

Thoughts 31/5/24

How do you know when it’s time to unplug? What do you do to make it happen?

Unplug

There are two ways at approaching this. Are we referring to unplugging from technology or unplugging from life when things start to get on top of you?

In technology apart from using WordPress as I am using currently for this blogging thing, I don’t use any other social platform apart from Twitter or “X” or whatever it is known as now to keep tabs on some groups I follow. I don’t partake in posting on it, it’s a vile, filth filled platform of hate that you only have to log into to witness. I don’t really need it to be honest and can delete it and feel no loss, and the world in my eyes becomes a better place. This is where social media falls down, the low life element of society now has a platform to spread its questionable ideology.

So technology in this aspect can just be deleted. In fact I’ve just this minute deleted Twitter so that’s a positive move, no antisocial media to worry about. Ignorance is sometimes bliss.

However the second aspect of when things start to get on top of you will differ from person to person. Personally for me as I have stated in the past, my job role bleeds over into my private life quite literally and I have now put measures in place to stop that. Previously I was available 24hrs, believe me you cannot do that and enjoy a healthy balance in life. You must stop and make immediate changes.

Work phone goes on when I start work and off at the end of the day. The business has been informed not to contact me via my private phone or email. All company WhatsApp groups have been deleted, I will find out what’s happened when I book on. All overtime shifts have been refused.

Result: my home life has improved, I’m a better person to be around and my priorities have been realigned. I’m resting better, my mood has improved and I’m starting to enjoy a life with my loved ones that I was in danger of jeopardising.

Work to live, don’t live to work.

Shine bright people.

Thoughts 30/5/24

What quality do you value most in a friend?

To be honest I don’t have many. That’s my choice and I could probably count mine on one hand. Why’s that? Because I trust them and they trust me.

That’s the only two things I ask of in a friend trust and confidentiality. If you can’t give that I’ll drop you like a sack of spuds.

Nowadays people seem to have hundreds of friends on line but I bet you that there’s a number of them more than happy to gossip and to be the first one to twist a knife between your shoulder blades.

There’s too many fakes out there. I don’t need that in my life.

Get a dog, they can be trusted.

Be happy.

Thoughts 29/5/24

What jobs have you had?

You know what I’m not going to list every job I’ve done as I don’t want the reader to fall asleep.

What I will tell you is I’ve never had a day unemployed in my life, no I’m not lying however years ago you could walk from one job on a Friday and be in a new job come Monday. That can’t be done now due to all the security checks and everything that is now in place, but I’ve been in my current job in excess of Twenty years now so I guess I’ve dodged that bullet.

My work ethic has been that I would do anything to earn a bob or two for my family. I’d do any job I’m not a snob in that aspect and no job was beneath me. I think the attitude with some these days is that cleaning drains and service jobs are not for them and they want to slot into a £50k plus job with no previous experience.

Dream on matey and get real.

Have a good day everyone.

Thoughts 27/5/24

Do you remember life before the internet?

Do I remember life before the Internet?

Oh yes I remember it very well. I came from a generation that was around just before computer technology started to appear. When I was at school I was probably in my fifth year as a senior at around the age of 16 and it was only just then, that computer technology was starting to appear on the school curriculum, as I was preparing to leave education.

When I left school and started my first job I remember my first months wages were spent purchasing a Sinclair ZX 81 microcomputer, wow this was amazing. I was a bit confused at first though because I opened the box and I plugged it in and I just expected it to work, it was a bit of a shock that you actually had to learn how to program the device before you got anything out of it, however I soon mastered the programming of the basic computer language and I was soon able to program some good little games. Next I moved onto the Commodore 20 a lovely little computer but all my friends were buying the better quality Commodore 64. From the Vic 20 I went down the route of trying the Amstrad Computers, i think it was called the 364 or 464 depending on whether you had Green screen or a colour VDU.

To be honest i still look today at buying an old Sinclair ZX 81 or spectrum, little collectors pieces now but I did enjoy it before the Internet kicked in.

I was just a standard youngster of the day who would go out with his friends and be playing football, cricket, marbles or conkers dependent on what season it was. We used to have great life climbing trees, making bows and arrows, catapults you name it. I feel sorry for the kids nowadays because they don’t have that freedom.

I went out for a meal with my wife a few weeks ago and there was a family of five, mum dad and three kids and I should imagine the kids were only About 12 years old ranging down to a youngster that was probably two years old sitting in a high chair. Every single one of them was on a computer device of some kind or a mobile phone or iPad and I just said to my wife at that point,”look at that, the art of conversation has totally disappeared”. There’s an entire family sitting there and not one of them was speaking to each other. They were all too engrossed in what was going on in other peoples worlds, rather than discussing their own families funny moments, concerns, or achievements.

Yes I do miss the time pre Internet. I think everyone was a better conversationalist back then, to say something to someone you had to walk around to their house, knock on the door, see if they were in and then tell them what you wanted to say face to face.

That dosen’t happen now, we have now produced a generation of people who just don’t do conflict unless they are hidden behind a screen and a keyboard, and that is where I believe most of the anger and hatred spouts from nowadays.

There’s no going back and I’m not saying we should, there was a lot of bad back in those days that is probably the reason children especially, don’t enjoy the freedoms today that we had back then.

So it’s horses for courses, we must move forward with the times, yes we probably had wonderful childhoods but we must not get stuck in the past and genuinely have to evolve, however much we dislike it.

I remember my parents fretting about the future back in the 70s, we are just clones of them and the never ending circle of life just trundles on.

Peace to you all.

Thoughts 26/5/24

What are you good at?

Trust

Overthinking, reliability, trust and timekeeping. In my eyes that’s about it. Others may see me differently.

In my 40+ years of working every conceivable shift I have never been late to work, I can be relied on there, of that there is no doubt.

I’m trustworthy, I can talk to someone personally get their trust and maintain it by keeping confidentiality. Something my boss could learn to do.

And my gosh, do I overthink things, it’s been a noose I have worn around my neck for most of my life and I can’t see it being untied anytime soon.

You can rely on me, if I say I’ll be there, I will be there.

Stay safe people

Thoughts 25/5/24

What does “having it all” mean to you? Is it attainable?

To me having it all means having enough to be happy. I’m happy with my lot, I have a good life, I’m closer to being poor than rich but I have all I need in my life. My family, my memories, my dreams and ambitions, I don’t have it all in terms of possessions power or money, I don’t envy what others have, I admire them for how they have obtained their good fortune and the hard work they have put into that achievement.

I have what I want, I have the people around me that I want around me, I have happiness and I’m content.

I have it all in my eyes.

Stay safe.

Thoughts 24/5/24

Who would you like to talk to soon?

I believe I may have mentioned him before, but I’d like to speak to my old primary school teacher who took over a troubled individual’s downward spiral and moulded him into a half decent person.

That individual was me, the teacher was Mr. Twelftree, the school was Little Reddings in Bushey, Hertfordshire.

I’d love to meet him and talk to him, I’d love to say just two words – “Thank you”.

He was and has been the most influential man I have met in my life, even overshadowing my own father as he saw something in me that even my own father couldn’t see.

Thank you sir, the debt I owe you cannot be repaid, I only hope that what I have learned from you has been passed forward to help others.

Peace

Thoughts 23/5/24

What personal belongings do you hold most dear?

I have an old personal cassette recorder otherwise known as a dictaphone sitting in the drawer of my bedside cabinet. On that cassette is a recording of my lovely mum drunkenly singing at a small dinner my wife and I hosted for her and my father about 30 years ago.

She’s singing the old Platters record, “Smoke gets in your eyes”

It’s my most treasured memory of a most beautiful person, and the fact I can still listen to my Mum after all these years at a time when she is happy is immensely satisfying and comforting to me. She didn’t have a happy life with my father, it’s just so good to hear her without worry on her mind.

Such a precious memory.

Stay safe.