One of my favourite Michael Leunig cartoons is The Plodder. It has six frames which contain a picture of a hurried, frantic person rushing ahead, looking back to throw a critical comment at The Plodder, who is merrily sauntering along behind. The Plodder's replies are lovely. Their exchanges go:
(Hurrier:) "You'll get left behind!" - (Plodder:) "HOW WONDERFUL!"
"You'll miss out!" - "HOW LOVELY!"
"You won't achieve your personal best!" - "HOW ENJOYABLE!"
"You won't be influential!" - "HOW TRUE!"
"You won't be attractive! You won't be clever!" - "HOW DIVINE!"
"You won't know what's happening!" - "HOW PEACEFUL!"
Faced today with the realisation that many of my colleagues are already well on the way to finding themselves new posts (we're all due to move within a year, us curates, to our first parishes), and that I've taken no initiative towards this as yet, tonight I am The Plodder. Well, I'd rather be him than Yosser ...
..............believe me life is busy and not the least today!
Today the first day of the rest of my life!
Also,sorry re cleche, I walked out of ROMFORD YMCA for the last time.About 9.30 pm.
Yes.....me done and it is a wrap.
I now have 4 days off and on Monday next,start my work with the National ymca and two other local ymca's doing special work with humans who are often treated as 'the bottom' and not beautiful.
Just got back from 4 days in Prague the venue for the big 8k festival in summer much like gb but for a wide range of cultures and languages. Russian to Icelandic !!!!
So tired......lots to say ......will click back with you later today ........hey hey
bhp
The last of these is an annual treat. For years the daffodils spelt out "NWW" (North West Water) in bold letters.
A year or two back this 'magically' changed to "UU" when North West Water became United Utilities.
Whether it was a sign of Mother Nature being spookily in tune with corporate rebranding or more to do with the work of human hand is unclear.
It is certainly in keeping with a fine tradition of work's operators creating beautiful little gardens in spare plots of land at Water and Waste Water Treatment Works.
I guess in the case of the latter, anything to improve your working environment is a good thing (- trust me you don't grow oblivious to the smell).
Probably best not to look to closely at the water feature though...
"To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something.
If we remember those times and places - and there are so many - where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.
And if we do act, in however small a way, we don't have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvellous victory."
- Howard Zinn, from his book You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A personal history of our times, in the 'Classic Quotes' section of The Fire This Time website.