I love Elvis Presley's Suspicious Minds truly one of his all time greats. I look back at that era leading to the 70's which was leaving behind the restrictions and repressions of a society and embracing a more open and relaxed one. People rose up and revolted against the mainstream, Vietnam being a case in point. It was one of the greatest periods in time where ideas flourished and people's inhibitions were relaxed, some to the point where flower child was the only description for them.
Boundaries certainly were crossed and in some respects that was to the betterment of society. I shudder today at the thought of the political Tea Party gaining a foothold. We do need to be vigilant as a society and as an individual against extremism.
I look back over my life and am grateful I met and married an individual with strong moral values but the ability to move his boundaries in line with clear thinking and applied logic. To have a closed mind negates the ability to see the other's point of view. This is imperative not only in day to day life but in the higher echelons of world government.
If there is one thing we taught our children albeit unconsciously at times it was to try to think laterally and when I look at the adults they have become it is apparent the lessons were learnt.
We need more and more open minded people on our planet otherwise we are doomed to regress to a more rigid mindset and repressed society.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Workout
If anybody had mentioned to me that I would one day enter the portals of a gym with the precise intention of working out I would have laughed uproariously. I could not be remotely categorised as being a gym junkie or sports inclined. However some of us get a wake up call at some time in their life and some of us even listen to that call.
From a health perspective certain things become apparent as we age. We do not move as athletically as at a younger age. Jumping over rocks at the beach can be a hazardous experience and our confidence is at an all time low at the prospect of keeping our balance. The spirit is definitely willing but the body just cannot make that adjustment.
All I needed was a push in the right direction and so I have joined what is called a soft circuit. This relates to gentle exercise including weights and cardio and balance and the amazing part is I am enjoying it. For two days of the week I spend an hour working out and "bite my tongue" it is fun.
The company is enjoyable because we are all much of an age or we have an injury that precludes more strenuous activity. I enjoy the comraderie of the group and the fact that we look after each other. Exercise has always been good for endorphins so they say, and the mood is definitely positive afterwards.
If my time at the gym keeps that "walker" at bay in future years, then it is a small price to pay for continued fitness. We owe it to ourselves to keep as mentally and physically fit as we possibly can not to say we have to overdo it, but at our own speed. The future I envisage for myself is definitely one of self management and the longer I can keep that going, the better for me and my family.
From a health perspective certain things become apparent as we age. We do not move as athletically as at a younger age. Jumping over rocks at the beach can be a hazardous experience and our confidence is at an all time low at the prospect of keeping our balance. The spirit is definitely willing but the body just cannot make that adjustment.
All I needed was a push in the right direction and so I have joined what is called a soft circuit. This relates to gentle exercise including weights and cardio and balance and the amazing part is I am enjoying it. For two days of the week I spend an hour working out and "bite my tongue" it is fun.
The company is enjoyable because we are all much of an age or we have an injury that precludes more strenuous activity. I enjoy the comraderie of the group and the fact that we look after each other. Exercise has always been good for endorphins so they say, and the mood is definitely positive afterwards.
If my time at the gym keeps that "walker" at bay in future years, then it is a small price to pay for continued fitness. We owe it to ourselves to keep as mentally and physically fit as we possibly can not to say we have to overdo it, but at our own speed. The future I envisage for myself is definitely one of self management and the longer I can keep that going, the better for me and my family.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
A Moment in Time
A friend of a friend has graciously offered to research part of my Mother's history, and regularly emails me updates. How intriguing to find out snippets of information from a long dead past.
Just recently she has discovered my great great grandfather was a convict. Apparently he was transported to Australia for 15 years for larceny. I can imagine it was a state of affairs which was kept well hidden by the next generation or two, but today it has become a cause celebre to have a convict in the family.
It will come as a shock to my elder sister who imagines we come from aristocracy, to discover this is our heritage but I find myself smiling at the pretensions we live with and how they affect our lives. For instance, the son of the convict was not happy with his daughter's choice of husband as he considered him "beneath her", and did not speak to her for quite some years.
At that moment in time when my ancestor faced the court and was sentenced he could not be aware that in the year 2010 his descendant would be aware of his fate and in some respect be quite proud of it.
Just recently she has discovered my great great grandfather was a convict. Apparently he was transported to Australia for 15 years for larceny. I can imagine it was a state of affairs which was kept well hidden by the next generation or two, but today it has become a cause celebre to have a convict in the family.
It will come as a shock to my elder sister who imagines we come from aristocracy, to discover this is our heritage but I find myself smiling at the pretensions we live with and how they affect our lives. For instance, the son of the convict was not happy with his daughter's choice of husband as he considered him "beneath her", and did not speak to her for quite some years.
At that moment in time when my ancestor faced the court and was sentenced he could not be aware that in the year 2010 his descendant would be aware of his fate and in some respect be quite proud of it.
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