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Archive for the ‘Random’ Category

Sometimes bad things happen to good people and a couple of weeks ago I was involved in a bad thing. The good news is it wasn’t all bad and lessons were learned. Yes, I’m still positive and surprisingly, so is the friend who was the victim of an all round bad week.

We’d decided to meet for a drink, something to eat and a catchup as my friend had fallen victim to the volcanic ash stopping flights into and out of the UK and Europe. Not only was she stuck at home on a week off but she’d missed a wedding and catchup with many old friends.

So, we found a spot, settled in for a drink and started to chat. My friend was quite philosophical about the missed holiday and looking on the bright side, noted that at least she was having a break and actually getting the things done that she didn’t usually have time for.

As we enjoyed our drinks and dinner, the place filled and we realised we were sitting under a big screen showing the football game between Spain and England…things could get messy! We finished eating just as the match ended and people started leaving – a good time for us to go too. That was when we found someone had taken my friend’s bag.

Oh my god – doesn’t describe the awful feeling of realising someone has basically grabbed your life in their hands and left you stranded. Needless to say 2-3 stressful hours of running around, trying to remember what was in the bag, what needed reporting and cancelling and deciding what should be done first, followed.

The sudden realisation that my friend’s licence with address was in the bag along with her keys sent us scurrying home – well, to her work place 1st where she had a spare set of keys, then home.

For me; it’s awful to think there are people out there who have no hesitation at taking a female’s bag and leaving her totally stranded – no money, no phone, no cards, no keys…nothing. For my friend; it was awful to think she’d been so stupid. She’d seen her bag on the floor with people sitting next to it and thought she should move it then silently reprimanded herself for being so suspicious. Now she felt like a fool.

Aside from the inconvenience and worry of having all your funds and security at risk, there was also a loss of personal and sentimental items that any woman will understand – yes, we all have so much stuff in our handbags that the loss goes way beyond the practical.

I’ve convinced my friend to stop beating herself up – we’ve all ignored those warning signs from time to time and sometimes we’re lucky, sometimes we’re not. She’s been great at looking on the bright side; how lucky we were that my bag was left so we could get home, she had spare keys and a spare phone – all positives, besides, we must accept the things we can’t change.

We’ve both learned a lesson – listen to your instincts. Don’t worry if you think you’re being suspicious or cynical, none of us want to be but on the other hand, we need to be realistic. Oh yeah, spare keys, credit card and a backup of your phone contacts isn’t a bad idea either!

Perhaps it’s not the worst of all the “ism’s” – race-ism, sex-ism; but my latest pet hate is age-ism.

When I say latest that’s not strictly true. It’s been a pet hate for a while now as I’ve found myself in the position of having to justify my age to someone who most often is younger than me. I get that anyone under 25 thinks 25 and over is OLD but hey, isn’t 40 the new 30?

What a bizarre twist this is when you consider how many times we all tried to pretend we were older to gain entrance to a venue or join a group.

My days of pretending to be older are long gone and these days I’m  happy with where I’m at however, I’m constantly frustrated by other people who seem unable to accept me for who I am and try to categorise me because of their age perceptions.

When I decided to travel and wanted to work at Summer Camp USA I was initially told I was too old but when I persisted and gained an interview I was suddenly found to be a perfect candidate and received a placement. What a surprise it must have been to the 20something interviewer as he told me, “he couldn’t believe how well he was getting on with me and how lively and energetic I seemed!”

For heavens sake – is 40 the new 95 in his eyes?

I’ve noticed most over 40′s have more energy and enthusiasm for living life and experiencing new things than the under 30′s who live for the latest X-box game or I-phone update so there!

What’s brought this outburst on you may ask? TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY and whilst I’ve had a lovely champagne brekky and am enjoying my day, I received a phone call from someone checking a form I’d filled out in relation to my future accommodation in the UK because she thought my birth date must be incorrect.

In fairness, I understand it’s not everyone over 40 who wishes to live in shared accommodation, particularly when the other occupants may be a lot younger however, I thought it was overkill when after I confirmed my birthdate she still had to ask in a shocked tone, “so how old are you?”

It seems I have come a full circle from trying to prove I was old enough to participate to nowadays, trying to prove I’m young enough to participate. Luckily, I like me just the way I am.

Happy Birthday to me.

Happy Birthday to me

Have you ever wondered “what if my head really did fall off from laughing?”

Probably not, but where did the saying come from? I laughed my head off!

Did someone’s head really fall off from laughing a long time ago? So long ago that the origin of the saying is now forgotten.

I guess it’s not worth worrying about – save the worry for splitting your sides laughing or worse still, killing yourself laughing.

Funny, they say laughter is the best medicine.