Reaching 60

Belated pressie from some friends - a couple of bottles of plonk with a personalised label.

That young dude over there is me, 30 odd years ago. Bloody hell!! I will, at max, only see 30 more springs - maybe with a miracle 40. More likely only 20 and if I die at the age my dad died, only another 16 wisteria spring time displays. It could be a lot fewer. I could have seen my last spring.

This ageing business is really weird.

Hang on while I get myself another G and T.

Grey hair, thin skin, bifocals, poor stream, less stamina and a belly that is a little protuberant. I am mortal. I will die.

Not too many years ago life felt like it was forever. Now I really know it isn't. I knew before but now I really know. This life isn't any kind of dress rehearsal. There is no coming back. This is it.

I have been told a few times in my life that I could do with getting my hands dirty - that is, getting out of my head and in touch with something real and actual - dirt. I have told myself the same thing many many times.

We humans spend too much time playing with and locked into mental abstractions - man made imagery and beliefs - shoulds, old hurts, future fears and other stuff. And in the process we miss out on life, reality and the enjoyment of being with self and others.

There may or may not be any point to life. There may or may not be any god or gods. Our beliefs are probably all off the mark. We are all sinners. We all struggle. In our negativity we are so boringly similar and hurtful.

Your opinions are yours and mine are mine - why fight over them. If we disagree, why not have fun heated discussions and leave it at that.

Stop trying to change self and others.

Please let those you love be who they are - let them be! Let yourself be too! And while you are at it let everyone else be too! Yes lets lock up those that are a danger to themselves and others but please let us all be more understanding and less punitive. Revenge in the end destroys the revenge seeker. Those that do damage have a screw or two loose and we all have one hell of a lot less choice than we imagine we have and pontificate about. If you ain't one of the baddies stop imagining you are such a clever dick and feel grateful you are not so afflicted. Or is that nasty little righteous game you play your inescapable prison.

WE ARE ALL IGNORANT FOR GOODNESS SAKE!! THIS IS WHAT WE ALL HAVE IN COMMON.

Violence is on the increase so the TV announcer tells us - why are we so surprised?

The haves are getting more of the pie, super houses on hills and huge pensions. Walled and locked communities are all the rage. There is little sense of gratitude - just judgements about the worker bees who are rapidly becoming redundant in this new brave world.

If you were one of them, you would of course rise up and find your place on top of the hill and look down on them and fuel your 'smart arse' sense of self - wouldn't you?

There isn't enough hills for us all you idiot. If we make being on top of the hill what life is all about, there will be wars - personal and global.

Just another wee rave - too many G and Ts.