Lincolnshire landscapes with big skies, strong easterlies. Heading back from the woods alongside the River Bain. A kestrel was hovering along the bank of the river, before he dived into the long grass. Nature....
By the way you're looking a bit ragged, our kid.
"Who me? The cheek of it. Take a look at yourself Lowry legs. He he!...I'm good. Love my jokes..."
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Because we are human most of us 'survive' on a daily basis. Be it travel to work, the kids, your partner, dog's constant farting…it goes on. Trivial maybe but not always. Most of the time we are 'dealing' with something.
My summing up is this - certain 'not happy' words trigger response. Hopefully being kind, helpful and generous, brings out the best in others. In that case what does being 'happy and stuff' bring forth?
Who is 'happy clappy' nowadays, anyway? Who are these people? Shouldn't we know? Get names…
How does one traverse through this life without feeling misery and despair a fair bit of the time? I just don't get it. I mean, look - if you're in a relationship you're either happily hooked or - firmly the other.
I reckon a trappist monk, living up in the Tibetan mountains on his/her own, chanting, yoga, meditating, could be happy. Ben Fogle did that programme once and the monk guy in the mountains was definitely happy. Not for everyone, that lifestyle. Not for Ben…
Anyone reckon they could do that? I'd give it a go, let's put it that way. As long as I could take Lilley. She doesn't mind a spot of meditating whilst sitting on my foot.
What d'you think of it so far? What d'you mean rubbish? Little swine....
"He he he....
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So, all of the above and I'm working towards my goal. Here it is - if we 'promote' awoc, childlessness or childfree, as 'fantastic', 'what a glorious life', 'love it' - who is going to listen? 'You're alright then? See ya. Got the homeless/livesatsea/animalshelter to deal with'. And, I can tell you, there are many, particularly the childfree, who love to shout their delight from the rooftops. Very pleased for them. But - when it comes to preparing an official approach NHS/SocialCare and so on it's mainly agreed the sad stories grab attention . The real stories win…
It must be said, of course, one tries to make the most of this life we've been given… 😍
We're not necessarily selling misery (sometimes we are) but I worry if we appear to be selling glorious delight at childfreeness or childless it gives muddled messages. To the authorities we're trying to inform whilst raising awareness of being ageing without children and all of its potential harsh realities; and to some of the general public who start to think ageing without children must be a marvellous thing. When young/younger it no doubt probably is, for some. Those who didn't ever want children, perhaps. But think about old age for a minute - without family. I'm talking proper old age, here. The reality of old age can be illness, disability, hospitals and, if not careful, the inevitability of care homes. Some of you out there will no doubt be flying about like young'uns at 80 years of age. When you're not? Do you think there is a chance you might be glad some ageing without children campaigners worked hard to try to ease your journey, as you 'travel' without children through the medical/social care maze?
I thank you...on to the next pitch...
Sales wordage upsets some and I can understand if you're not used to the terminology of the 'sales pitch' (or bear pit), but sales is what we're doing when we present to organisations. When I sold a house I presented all its best bits and pumped them up to the max. We are selling our unhappiness with certain situations we, as awocs, can find ourselves in as we age. Sometimes alone with no one to support us - such as a family.
Feeling excluded as advertisements, products continue to assume everyone has a family, partner or is living as a family, with partner and so on. It really does become quite discriminating.
An awoc friend has a harrowing tale for these pages (next story probably) about a poor woman who died alone in her social housing flat and lay dead for two years before being discovered. There is more to that story as we'll find out but the point is - that must not happen again.
It has attracted the attention of Harriet Harman MP who is demanding an enquiry.
The harrowing tale is an awoc tale. We don't know if the lady was an awoc but it is an awoc tale.
It could easily happen to me and many of you, for a start off. Am I OK about that? Of course not. Are you?
So, as Lilley and I took our daily exercise today, I gave thought to some of the above whilst we were passed by couples and several families with kids on bicycles. All of them delightful, I must say. Waving, stroking Lilley, stopping to chat.
But, we wandered ‘lonely as a cloud’ to quote the great W Wordsworth. Desperate to reach Lilley’s magic seat actually, but too far, today. The magic was shrouded. Intangible and enchanting. Out of reach with its sorcery. A whispering in the atmoshpere as Mother Nature cast her magic. I like to return from our walks with a whispered message from Mother N.
We all want to be happy and, let's hope, most of the time most of us are. But when awocs et al need to knock on official doors we need a story - not of trippety doo dah but potentially the worst scenario. Because it does happen - see above.
Bye bye...off home for fresh coffee and a warm scone. Be seen' you...take care now...