Categories
Adulthood Non-fiction Writing

I think I had a bad dream…

I think I had a really bad dream the other night, I woke into a world where everything had gone wrong,
There was this virus that was spreading faster than anyone could handle and people were suffering, the figures rising on and on.

Other countries ahead of us were breaking news so scary to hear,
It was like watching our lives before it happened and knowing exactly what to fear.

It was like a film, still is, it doesn’t seem real,
Happy, full of gratitude and luck, I don’t know how else to feel.

Self isolation, quarantine and social distancing were the measures,
Pub closures, restaurants, any place where people gathered.

Life as we knew it was put on hold,
Stick to the advice we were told.

So, tell me, what will go down in history, how did we react?

Flocking to supermarkets and buying everything off the shelf,
First it was toilet rolls, then pasta, paracetamol, eggs and bread all those in good health.

While others at home struggled to get the goods,
Those who really needed them, they were stuck in the hood.

So Boris tried again, he came on tele to simply say:
Stay at home, please everyone. Unless it’s essential take another day.

Thankfully the situation appears to be improving,
Though the queues in the supermarkets, I’ve heard, are not moving.

The shelves are filling slowly and essentials many are able to get,
The round of applause on Thursday evening is something most will never forget.

Community is coming together and kindness is appearing near and far,
Just think, please, before you get in your car.

It’s for the wellbeing of the world, we must abide,
Stay at home, support the NHS, and help to save lives.

Categories
Adulthood

24 things I did before turning 24

As an aspiring writer, my mood about what my intentions are for the future vary like tidal waves. Mostly, I’m pleased to say, I’m very happy with my progress and confident in my ambitions to strive for goal and ignore (mostly) negative judgement along the way. However, sometimes (sometimes this is a lot) I need that little nudge in the right direction to remind myself of all I have achieved, all that is good about my life and remember how bright the future remains.

Reading other blogs which I frequently do, I came across a lovely idea for a post where the author of The Wellbeing Blogger has written 30 things that they had achieved before turning 30. Not only did this make me smile, giving me an idea for this week’s blog post, it also was an interesting way of looking at life from a different angle.

Everybody, particularly in their early years before lives are settled and anything is certain, has fear of comparison. They compare themselves to others and if they’ve not reached certain goals by certain ages then it’s all doom and gloom until they’ve sunk a bottle of wine and nothing matters anymore. Definitely speaking from experience here!

Yet life isn’t always so smooth and predictable. If you wish to have children by thirty then great, but it may take you a lot longer to conceive than you expect. If you wish to get married by twenty eight then the right man may come along at thirty one, but that is still ok. If you want your career to kick off at twenty three then brilliant and go ahead and try, but often these things take time and if you are striving to make a career out of what you love then what more can you do?

All I’m saying is (and what the fabulous post I read made me realise was) that sometimes it is better to look at life from the enlightening angle of all that you’ve achieved and all of the good things so far, rather than focus on things that are yet to happen and may never happen in the future.

Basically, I think we all need a little reminder that we’re doing a grand job at this wonderful thing we call life and here is mine!

By the age of 24 I…

  1. had a fabulous childhood
  2. made brilliant friends
  3. passed my driving test
  4. skydived over The Great Barrier Reef
  5. appreciated my home, England
  6. did good deeds for others
  7. obtained a degree
  8. gave my smile to a stranger
  9. traveled New Zealand
  10. read lots
  11. inter-railed around Europe
  12. loved dogs
  13. maintained a job and juggled all my work
  14. held a Koala in Oz
  15. found the positive in every day
  16. had my writing published both online and in print
  17. wrote a novel
  18. raised money for charity
  19. made drunken memories
  20. realised the importance of being myself and loving people for who they are too
  21. had confidence about my future
  22. learnt to care less about what others think (though I’m still working on that…)
  23. found the huge benefits in meditation and yoga
  24. had faith