I'm back from Scotland and in London again. The one thing they both have in common is buckets and buckets of rain. The latest news is this has been the wettest June on record. I think there was one day of sunshine up North. When it happened I sat out in the garden and had breakfast with the dickie birds cheeping all around me. They wanted a bit of my toast but were not having any as far as I was concerned. These rare occasions of sitting in Sparkling's garden are to moments of pure delight, I store them up in the back of my memory closet and pull them out every now and again. Just like the time I was in Portugal with Sparkling, sitting on a beach, eating a just barbecued sardine, the waves lapped at my feet, and I stared out at the old style ship anchored just off shore. Sparkling came up to me and gave me a hug, my eyes welled with emotion because it was so beautiful, sunny and a wonderful get away from everything. It had been too long since our last holiday and that one reminded me of their value. However, if it rains it's not the end of the world. Why we treat it as though it is I don't know. Frankly speaking, tagging your emotions on whether it rains or not in the UK could create a long bout of downcast blue feelings. So get over it.
It is a good time to take note and to Get Things Done. This is the title of a book I've began reading. I really must read a lot faster or spend more time reading the thing. It's a good book and I've only just read over 30 pages. But I like to really have a good think about what it is that goes in my head. Whether I agree with it or not. Just as you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, with it's content you should judge it this is perfectly allowable. Unlike some people who pick up books just because they happen to be the best seller at the time and everyone is raving about it. I tend to pick up books which have been a best seller 10, 20 or 30 years ago and so have been critically discussed since. Good literature will always stand out. Good literature is the kind of thing to put into your hands and read on a rainy day. I have noticed something though. When i am reading a book, there are usually thoughts, concepts and stories in the book and this gives me material to talk about them. To people who may not have read the book so they have to listen to what I am saying. Which doesn't mean when i talk to people they stop listening to me, except for Sparkling who at times will quite clearly yawn and cognitively poke me to change my attention to her. Or I can chat as long as I'm doing something useful, like giving a foot massage and she can tune out to the TV or a glass of wine. Again the perfect things to do on a rainy day, or rather evening.
If it wasn't for the amount of rain we have in the UK our grass would not look as lush and green as it does. It doesn't take too long when we have a bout of drought the grass goes parched and brown. Turf gets really hard under foot and everything becomes unbearably hot. I'm sure the US would love some of the weather we are getting at the moment, because I hear it is hitting the 40s in some areas. Constant rain does not kill people, OK it may make a few of us sad, but this is silly. If you think about it a bit of rain is a good thing. I'll accept flooding is no good and can be dangerous, I accept it can prevent you from doing a lot, but equally there are still a lot of things which can be done. If it's raining and you're reading this BLOG you are using your time productively and defiantly. Because some things can not be changed it doesn't mean they be allowed to dominate how I feel. So I'll go against them. I'll disagree, be argumentative, even if it is with my own self and pull my own socks up. Which brings me to my next point.
While watching the ladies singles final at Wimbledon yesterday (Williams versus Radawanska), there was a period where Williams had lost it mentally. Or so the commentators were saying. She had allowed Radawanska a chance to get back which led to a thrilling second set and Radawanska drawing even. Williams just kept making mistake after mistake, points were being given away and anyone will know of all people Radawanska is well known for making fewer forced or unforced errors than anyone else. Then came the turn around. The set had finished and Williams had a moment where she got her point and screamed victory. The scream had a startling effect on Williams psychologically, she was kicking herself up the arse. Williams became very determined and channelled her aggression actively, calming, making herself focused. After which followed an exceeding quick third set which she one with a lot of big hitting serves to boot. Radawanska, just could not contain or weaken Williams strength both physically and psychologically. Williams won her fifth title. She refused to allow herself to be overcome with negativity, she refused to allow herself to make errors, she had gone into a highly focused zone. I think even if she had lost, the one thing she would of known, was she had lost to a better player rather than to her own mistakes. This is probably the ultimate in any life event. Knowing you have done your best and bought meaning to it rather than letting the situation overcome you. It's not easy, but then it never is.
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