Finish

Finished. I started blogging over 4 years ago. That site closed then I started here. But I guess in the end I am talking to myself. Not good so I will stop.

Changes

Many things change, some more quickly than others. Four years ago the banks were filling everyone’s' letterboxes with application forms for loans. All one had to do was sign a form and you could get 10,000 Euros or more with no more questions asked. Now you have to apply, not to the local branch, but to the head office, and they require details of your employment from your boss, how long you have lived at your current address, all you 'outgoings' and everything filled out in duplicate, even for a very small loan. Very much a case of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.
These days I am reminded of things past. I remember my Dad telling me stories about missionaries coming to our local church. I even remember a few myself. It was always a big event. For the week or so of the visit there would be lots of religious services and people would come from neighbouring parishes also. The church would be packed with many people having to stay outside. The missionaries would be seen as mini celebrities, and people would view them with the same awe as the local bishop.
At one of these events a missionary priest went to chat with some local young men who were standing at the church. He went to one and said "Well young man, are you married?". Not sure how to reply to the question, he answered "No Father, but the dinger is! ". The dinger was the nickname of a local man.
On another occasion during a very wet day, people coming to Mass had clay on their boots and the back of the church was very dirty after Mass. At the next Mass the missionary priest declared that all the locals were animals due to the state of the floor after the previous Mass. The next day as this priest was making his way to the church, a local man went down on his hands and knees and pretended to be eating the grass. I don't know if the priest got the message but it provided some light relief for the locals who observed it.
I am not sure if this sort of humour travels well but being able to laugh instead of getting angry or upset has seen many an Irish person through some very difficult times.

Spring smell

Spring is here. It has a certain smell. I got it Saturday evening as I was opening a gate. It is a smell similar to rotting vegetation but more sharp, even crisp. It happens every spring and when the days start getting warmer and the nights less cold, it results in this signature smell. It is a sign that life goes on and no matter what happens in our personal lives or even the world economy, nature moves on anew each year. I knew someone who understood nature more than anyone. At times it seemed to me that he could read the minds of animals. He understood it's rawness and it's gentleness. It is a shame that so many people have lost that link with nature. So many will not see the growth of Spring that brings food to the shops. People who have never seen a real cow or sheep and will sink their teeth into a burger unaware of what it actually is. Nature is not just a nice weekend in the countryside. We are all part of nature and it is un-natural if we cut ourselves off from it. Anyway, good night and maybe you might try smelling nature sometime :)

The meaning of life

On the first day, God created the dog and said, "Sit all day by the door of your
house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a
life span of twenty years.." The dog said, "That's a long time to be barking.
How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?" So God
agreed......

On the second day, God created the monkey and said, "Entertain people, do
tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span."
The monkey said, "Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to
perform. How about I give you back ten like the dog did?" And God agreed......

On the third day, God created the cow and said, "You must go into the field with
the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to
support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty
years." The cow said, "That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty
years. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?" And God agreed
again......

On the fourth day, God created humans and said, "Eat, sleep, play, marry and
enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years." But the human said,
"Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave
back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes
eighty, okay?" "Okay," said God. "You asked for it."

So that is why for our first twenty years, we eat, sleep, play and enjoy
ourselves. For the next forty years, we slave in the sun to support our family.
For the next ten years, we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And
for the last ten years, we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone. Life has
now been explained to you..

Amour

When I started putting my thoughts and feelings online I was slow and reluctant to say very much. Then I went through a phase of putting every emotion and thought down. Now it looks like I have gone back to making rare entries. One subject I pondered a lot about is love. There are so many different kinds of love but each boils down to one fact; we all need to have a bond with another human being. We need to know that we are not alone in the world. The easiest thing about love is giving someone else advice about it, the hardest thing is taking that advice. I sometimes think “ is love really worth it?”. Is all the pain and heartbreak worth the all too brief moments of joy? When your mind fills up with questions, doubts and worries, is it all really worth it?
The purest form of love in my opinion is the unconditional love that mostly exists between a mother and her child. Unconditional love is more rare than Hollywood would have us believe. For the majority love is conditional on the response of the other person. We feel “let-down” or even “betrayed” if we see our emotional investment being ignored or not properly acknowledged. Love can spark off many negative emotions and can even eventually lead to feelings of hate. We can feel guilty if we are unable to return the love that another person gives us.
With all the “love” dates happening on the calendar now I guess my mind has focused more on this.
Anyway, time to give my brain a rest again :)