Spin-doctors....

 ....Don't you just love 'em!  (Well no serious politico does.)  They love sound bites. They say, 'Let's not bother people with our complicated arguments. Let's just say something short and snappy. It'll sound good and stick in their memory.' And, as we're all too busy working to cover the taxes that, in turn, pay those politician's wages, we don't much seem to mind. Until, that is, we wake up and realise that they have squandered billions through incompetence and idiocy.

 

That's the price we pay for taking assurances at face value

This may come as an....

utter shock.  You may need to strap yourself down before reading further......Are you ready?..... Brilliant ideas do not always turn up in chauffeur driven cars. Men in shiny peaked hats do not roll out red carpets before ushering them out and bystanders do not invariably jostle for position on the pavement, striving to get a good view of the celebrity. Sometimes, indeed, it is the bad ideas that turn up in a manner like this... while the great ones sneak in through a side entrance and just start doing what must be done.

 

Does it ever matter who gets the credit for what - just as long as the right thing happens.

Why not go for a run....

...to lose weight - and take some sandwiches in case you get hungry along the way? Or why not try to please your critics? There are many great exercises in futility that you can perform if you wish to. Some things, though, really are not worth the effort.

 

 

 

If you really want to make some progress - pursue a plan that actually stands a chance of working; and treat the cause, not the symptom of a particular malaise. Think about what's really going on. Ignore what's being said.

You will offend someone....

....no matter what you say. You will misunderstand something, no matter how hard you try to grapple with a tricky topic. You will transcend an unwritten rule, no matter how delicately you tread through the minefield of social protocol. And how much will all of this matter? As much (or as little) as you care to let it.

 

 

Mistakes are not just forgivable, they are inevitable. They can be transformed into triumphs if they are conceded, not denied.

Would you please join me in....

.....three cheers for minimalism! Ummm, maybe, on reflection, it had better be one cheer. Let us all drink to moderation. (But let us make sure that the drink is non-alcoholic). If, one way or another you are feeling a little restricted, you may want to do a lot even if it is clear that you can only do a little. This, though, can be more than enough. Sometimes it is through the ability to hold back wisely that you are can start to achieve success.

 

 

It is quality not quantity that counts

This was just given to me....

....A brilliant analogy -

 

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they'd be asked the "half empty or half full" question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 18g to 35g.

She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralysed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

She continued, "The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralysed – incapable of doing anything."

Remember to put the glass down.

Here's one of those....

....different posts to keep you all up-to-date. Yesterday.  I didn't see the surgeon, but one of his registrars.  There was no record on file of my meeting with the medical team over a month ago.  Anyway, to cut a long story short - even though my top wound hasn't 'skinned over properly', surgically all is far better than they had hoped.  I've been discharged from the surgical team.  In any future meeting of all 'experts' - one is due shortly - the surgical group would try to resist any suggestion of further surgery.  In his words - you've had a lot removed already, any more and it wouldn't be safe.  The clock ticks....but I'm not due to see anyone again until October.

 

 

And so the saga continues, and all the while AP stays by my side with a 'you can't get me' attitude. 

 

But, no matter what cross we have to bear, if we allow ourselves to wallow in self pity nothing we do will be of much worth.  Not to mention that it's a tad selfish.