It's The Little Things That Matter...

Hi Readers,

Yep, I bet you've all heard this title before and each time we hear it or say it we barely give it the scant recognition it deserves.

                     WARNING !!

This is one of his posts where he has been burning the incense and thinking too much !!

As I wander around Melbourne I see so many things that are topic worthy, but I never know how to blend them all together into the one post.

Then yesterday I was listening to a podcast and the person being interviewed had gone through a series of events that were really tough for him and his family. The interviewer questioned him as to how he coped through such a combination of hardships.

I immediately felt a connection to what this person had been going through after losing my sister recently, on top of the situation I find my family currently experiencing.

"I just be thankful for the little things" was all that he said, followed by a long pause.

The pause said it all. We often focus on the big things, and things that are often beyond our control, whereas the 'little things' can be things that are more achievable, understandable and easier to process on the spot.

So that's what I've been able to focus on lately, and try and become more aware of...the little things !

And believe me when I say that they can easily be missed altogether unless one is trying to be noticing them more consciously. I was amazed at the things I was eventually noticing that I'd otherwise be totally ignoring as I carried on with my normal routines.

So, in no particular order, here are some "little things" I've noticed, but when I reflect on them, I do see a much bigger picture...

Positive Pedestrian

In a recent post I had a rant about how annoyed I get walking the busy streets and having to dodge people with their faces in their phones, people who just stop in the middle of the footpath, groups who walk 5 abreast and so on. I better stop now or else another rant will start!!

I came back from a walk and all of the above things happened again, as well as two teenagers fart arsing about and deliberately crashing into other pedestrians. They did it to me and collected me, so I turned and caught up with them and gave them a serve. Part of me wanted to punch them back in the shoulder just as they had done to me, but that would only make me like them. However, the sheer look of fear in their faces when I confronted them was worth everything. They clearly had been getting away with it, and it appeared that I was the first to challenge them on it, and they didn't like it one bit. They just melted with all sorts of apologies which I dismissed, and told them they had no idea if someone they crashed into was carrying an injury or ailment. I walked away with their scared look so clear in my mind. In a way that didn't sit well with me, but in a way, it also did. 

Still not sure if that is something to be proud of, but I hope it stopped them.

For the rest of my walk I was so uptight, and possibly angry at what had happened, and it took ages for me to just get over it.

As I went for a walk the next day it was still festering in my mind so I decided I needed to do something to change this mindset.

Why was I making myself so mad ?

I seriously needed to change my attitude, and as I said earlier and in other posts, focus on what I could change, and this could be done with my attitude.

I was determined to not let any of the things that bug me get on top of me.

Recently I changed all the ink cartridges in our printer at home, and as most would know, CYAN is one of the ink types.

I thought of this and came up with a simple mantra Change Your Attitude Now. CYAN. 

Get it ?

As I was walking along and I could see the things that would normally annoy me, I'd just say to myself "CYAN", and immediately I'd be calm. It's just accepting things for what they are and choosing to not let them worry you.

And they didn't ! I actually started to enjoy myself more, and also became increasingly conscious of what things I might be doing that would be bugging other pedestrians ???

I'm sure there would be some, but because I was being too self centred I was not able to see this.

If anything, I became more polite, letting others pass, and smiling at the things that previously bugged me. Rather than growl, grumble or mutter a swear word when someone with their face in their phone crashed into me, I just apologised and checked that they were okay and moved on. It actually felt good !

So, hopefully I'm a better version of myself on the streets of Melbourne just by committing to changing my attitude.

At the Hospital

As I'm at the hospital every day for a few hours, it has been an absolute privilege to see the staff at work. In the wards I have been visiting, most of these patients are seriously ill, especially in ICU where a family member recently spent a number of weeks. 

These staff deal with patients who could very well not be present the next day, yet they always have been so positive, cheerful and upbeat to the patients as well as the visitors like me. It can be so easy for patients and visitors to lose their filters and be rude, abrupt, demanding and disrespectful to the staff as they face the challenges of being the sick person, or that person's loved ones.

I have seen and heard it often, people at their lowest ebb just not being able to treat the staff with the respect they deserve.

For the staff, I'm amazed at how they just let it wash over them as if it doesn't happen, but I just can't stop feeling that sometimes it must be hard.

We all have "bad hair days" ( even me with hardly any hair !) but I'm yet to see any of the staff having one. If anything, it's the complete opposite.

I even asked a few of them about it, and they say they just understand what families and patients are going through, and they need to do all that they can to support them.

And don't they do it so well !!

Each day I leave the hospital and think "Well, she has the best nurse today", and then the next day I say the same thing, and so on and so on. It would be totally unfair to say that one is better than the other, I am just so grateful for each and every one of them.

So what's the "little thing" here?

Just be nice whenever you can. Not hard, but it leaves an impact.

Also at the hospital is the Music Therapy team, a group of musos who provide gentle, and sometimes more upbeat music in the corridors and rooms. As I was sitting in our room the other day I could hear one of them on the guitar out in the corridor and I just wished he'd come into our room.

As I was leaving today, just by coincidence there he was waiting to get into the lift with me. I commented on the song he was playing a few days ago, as I remembered it from my childhood and hadn't heard it for so long. He asked who I was visiting, and then said he knew who that was, and would a musical visit be something that would help.

I'll check tomorrow, and I'm hoping I get a yes!!

The little thing ?

In the age of Spotify and instant streaming, we can play whatever song we like whenever we want.

BUT... on this day I heard a song at random that I'd probably never search for as it has gone from my memory, but just hearing it brought back so many more memories from that time. I haven't gone to Spotify to hear it again as I want to preserve the memory of hearing it in the hospital corridor.

And it happened a few days earlier when I was in a shop and I could hear another favourite from years ago playing. More memories, and even a smile on my face as soon as I heard it.

If I searched for them on Spotify, Yes, I'd still enjoy them, but the random nature would be gone and so would have been the instant joy of hearing them so unexpectedly.

What were the songs I hear you wondering ???

I've seen Mamma Mia a number of times in London, and this song has always been my favourite ! 

Another blast from the past, I remember this one so well from my own primary school days !

And Yes, I hear you all groaning from here and wondering what the heck is in my incense tonight !!!!

Another hospital anecdote (Well, you should expect them as I spend so much time there)

During my first visits back in August last year, I was a bit aghast at first when I'd see patients in wheelchairs, most extremely ill looking, some with legs missing, sitting out the front of the hospital smoking heavily.

Now, I'm not a smoker, and perhaps I was prematurely being high and mighty, something which I regret feeling on those first days still.

I'd be thinking "Why the heck are they out here smoking when there are staff inside doing their best to help them?"

I asked a nurse about this and she put me straight immediately, and totally changed my attitude and thinking there and then.

In the kindest way, she said "Yes, it does look bad, but for some of those patients, that is the highlight of their day. They get outside, they chat with friends, and yes, they smoke. But for some, they don't have much time left, so maybe the smoking is one small joy that they have remaining".

Yep. I got it straight away.

So now, rather than frown at this, I embrace it and often give a Hi as I go past, as our faces are familiar to each other now. If this is the best part of their day, I'd hate to spoil it with my attitude.

The little thing ? Don't be so judgemental and let them enjoy a dart !

Another hospital anecdote from today.

As I was leaving, I noticed an elderly man with one of those walking frames with wheels that also act as a seat. He was trying to carry a coffee and also negotiate a series of steps, which would have been an effort for him even without the coffee.

As I came alongside him I asked if I could assist in any way and the look of pure relief on his face just melted me. We were getting down the first set of steps with a little bit of difficulty, but getting there. 

Next minute another man bolts over and joins in helping. 

The elderly man was so grateful and I clearly remember looking this other bloke in the eye and I'm sure we were both thinking the same thing... "Doesn't this feel so good"

The three of just chatted our way down the steps as if we all knew each other, and it was so good to be able to feel so worthwhile. Importantly, he wasn't made to feel as if we had gone out of our way to help him. He was there, so were we, so maybe it was just meant to happen.

Now here is the strangest part of this story.

As we escorted him out of the hospital and were sure that he was okay, another elderly man nearby who was as equally frail called out with a huge "Thanks fellas, he's my driver !!"

It turned out that the man we helped was there to pick up this other man and drive him home. 

The little thing?

It wasn't hard at all to see that this man needed assistance. It would have been easy to keep walking, and hope that 'someone else' would help him.

Well today it was our turn to be that 'someone else'. And it isn't hard to just keep an eye out for times to be that someone else. It doesn't mean we have to mug an old lady to get her across the road, it just means to be prepared to be the one to offer to do those little things at home, at work, wherever. There will be refusals or knockbacks, but at least the intention will help you feel good.

I hope the two of them got home !!

Well Readers,

Nothing here is rocket science. I'm just trying to say that to make a difference need not mean trying to save the world (although, imagine if that did happen !!)

It's just paying attention to the little things, that in reality can make a world of difference to others, AND ourselves.

I'm not suggesting we all go out there and have a list of the things we are going to try and do, just let it happen naturally and the intrinsic benefits are so much more rewarding.

And not everything needs to be noticed. No-one in Melbourne knew that I was trying to be a nicer pedestrian, but I hope that maybe that person who I paused for to come out of a doorway might then do something similar for someone else. I'll never know, but it shouldn't stop me from doing it still. Plus it means I won't wear out my runners as quickly if I keep come storming back in an angry mood !!

Looking back over this it appears to be a lot of waffle.

Again.

I often know what I want to write about, but often I don't know the words I want to use. But when I do write them, I need to be comfortable with what ends up going down. And you, the poor readers have to try and make sense of them !!!

I was determined to try and do this post in under an hour. Fat chance.

When writing about events that have actually happened to me, I tend to think back over them and wonder what I could do differently, do again, or maybe do for the first time.

Then the post takes way too much time to write !!

Tomorrow I'll keep trying to be a polite pedestrian, and looking out for 'little things'. Hopefully it can become ingrained so that it doesn't become something I have to try and be aware of, and it just becomes me.

Until my next post Readers,

Cheers 😁

 Being Positive

Hi Readers,

I had a few ideas to write about today, but couldn't choose which one to use.

What a problem to have !

So, last night I was reading a book by Ant Middleton, and something he discussed has prompted this post today. And while I was just out walking the streets of Melbourne I was listening to 'The Imperfects' podcast, and something that they were talking about matched identically to what Ant Middleton was mentioning in his chapter last night.

How coincidental !! Or maybe it was just meant to be.

I've always considered myself a fairly positive person who generally looks for the upside of every situation. When things are down or a problem has occurred or is surfacing, rather than dwell on the negativities I find it much easier to focus on the possibilities.

I don't know why or where this attitude came from, but to me it just seems to save time and energy when one doesn't dwell on things that we have no control over. Much of it might also come from all the sport I have been involved in over the years. In football there was no benefit in stressing about things that had already happened in the game, as we could not change that. BUT... we could influence what happens next and have some control over it due to just having a positive approach and mindset. Not always successful, but at least it always meant we had a better chance.

Secondly, I did a lot of running back in the day and the same approach got me through many marathons and long runs. A focus on what was possible, rather than what has already been done meant I was able to achieve much more than I might have anticipated.

So, what did Ant write that really struck a chord with me ?

He talks about turning your weaknesses into strengths, and how if we never challenge our own weaknesses we may never know the full potential of our strengths.

If we just focus on what we are good at all the time, we are foregoing the opportunity of developing even more strengths by not trying to become better at things that we are not so confident at.

Sounds easy, doesn't it ? And safe.

Why would we bother trying things that we are weak at when we know what the result usually is? Better to stick with what we know?

He compares this approach to only eating Maccas every day. Easy, relatively cheap and immediately satisfying ( his words, not mine !!)

Over time though, it's not as nutritious and satisfying as a meal that we may have spent a great deal of time preparing.

I experienced this and wrote about it in a previous post where I spoke about my late sister, and when he mentioned it I was immediately thinking back to those meals.

You might need to go and read that post to get my drift.

He also goes on to explain that we often tend to direct more of our energy towards the negative aspects of a situation, rather than the potential positives that can eventuate.

Could this be because it's easy to focus on what we already know, rather than direct our energies towards the unknown? 

A positive mindset does not always mean that everything will work out fine, but it sure does make things feel a lot better along the way.

I thought about things that I'm doing that are 'safe', and don't really take me out of my own comfort zone, and one of the first things that came to mind was doing this actual blog!!

What? Is he totally on the incense again?

I looked back over some of my first posts many years ago, and how I might have changed them over time, and realised that I stick to a very tame approach and just talk about things that have happened, rather than share some of my own thoughts.

By just telling you what I have done can't be denied. It happened.

But, telling you how it made me feel, or how it might have affected others is a new can of worms as it is more open to discussion and disagreement.

I don't expect everyone to agree with what I write, probably just to try and understand where I'm coming from, and to encourage some thinking on your part.

My posts over the past 9 months have changed dramatically as I've started to open up more about myself, and this is what Ant is talking about.

I've moved on from 'Maccas' and have started to 'cook some meals' so to speak.

As a result I have found a greater love for what I'm doing and how I prepare myself for my posts and how much of myself I'm putting into them.

I never thought that I'd be able to write so openly, but by addressing my weaknesses and reluctance to do so ( even though I've wished I'd done this sooner) I have found that I enjoy it even more.

And probably bore you even more !! 

My last post reverted back to what I have usually done, just telling some stories that happened back in the day, but after what I read last night and listened to today, I just felt compelled to step out of my comfort zone again.

And I feel great for doing so.

Amazing how at 58 years of age I finally discover something that really gets me thinking and so motivated to keep going with it regardless of how strange others may see it.

Let me share another example from today.

Every morning without fail ( well, rarely do I miss doing it) I do a workout with a fitball and light weights to strengthen my core and hamstrings, as I've had lots of problems in recent years with my back and have had hamstring surgery. I could look back and moan and groan about how these injuries still trouble me now, but I choose to adopt a positive approach instead. I know that I'll feel better after each workout, and also that each workout is a way of preventing these injuries from occurring again so easily.

Just a focus on the potential for the future rather than the negatives of the past.

Anyway, I have digressed again ( Don't you love how I sneak that comment into nearly every post!!)

After leaving the hospital today from my daily visit I went for my usual long walk around Melbourne. For some reason my left knee started to hurt, and at first I just ignored it. However, the more I walked, the worse it became. It was so frustrating as I couldn't recall doing anything to hurt it. My normal gait soon became a hobble as the pain got worse and spread further around my knee.

Rather than get all down about having another injury, I searched for a positive and found one straight away. I've been troubled for a few years now with growing arthritis in my right ankle, which now causes me to walk with a slight limp at times.

As I was walking and struggling with my now very sore left knee, it dawned upon me that it didn't hurt as much as my right ankle.

WINNER WINNER !!!! 

Rather than my usual frustration with a sore ankle, it was now relegated and something else had taken over. To me this was a bonus, as I'm pretty sure this sore knee will be just a passing thing which I needn't get too worried about.

I know some of you might be saying "But what if it doesn't?"

I hear you, but I just won't entertain the thought because my approach is to focus on the positive idea that it is only temporary

It reminds me of the saying "If you think you won't succeed, you'll be correct"

If I think it will get better, and I do what is needed to achieve this, then I'm sure it will. If not, I'll deal with it then.

More than anything, a positive attitude is what I have definitely needed to maintain for the past 9 months now. My sore body parts are trivial to what others are experiencing and it is a massive perspective pill to swallow.

A family member is being treated for a serious illness and each day has been so hard to witness, especially for the past 8 or so weeks. As I visit the hospital each day I see not only the struggles our family member is enduring, but also those of other patients.

This was even more evident when a stay in ICU for 25 days was needed after some serious complications arose. Not for the life of me could I dare complain about my petty little ailments that are generally self inflicted due to my constant need/passion/addiction/ dedication to getting daily exercise. I have seen people hanging on to life by the skin of their teeth, but through it all I have maintained a firm belief that the nurses and doctors providing the care will eventually deliver a positive result.

Despite the seriousness of this situation, I still manage to see positives. I am just so grateful for the efforts of the people doing all that they can to try and turn this situation around and hopefully ease a lot of pain and discomfort. I have met so many nurses and doctors who offer their unconditional love, care and support in so many ways, so how can I feel anything but positive about the way our family member is being looked after.

Bless you all 🙏

It would be too easy to sit back and think the worst, but this does nothing to help me to help them. I've found that by having a firm belief in a positive outcome not only makes me feel better, but also helps me to help them to feel the same.

In previous leadership roles at my school, when presented with problems that were occurring from time to time, I probably bugged the living suitcase out of my colleagues by saying "We don't have problems, just solutions !"

While the solutions may not have been obvious at the time, it was just my way of accepting the problem, then moving on towards a solution. It gave me a positive mindset towards a solution rather than expending energy on what has already happened that I couldn't change or have control over.

Doesn't work for everyone, but it did for me.

The benefits of trying to see the positives?

My experiences of late have given me a greater perspective towards so many things.

First of all, when the kids in my class complain about things, often my first question is to gently ask  "Is this an ant or an elephant?" It's my way of helping them to identify quickly if their problem is as serious as it really may be. They may very well say straight away "It's an elephant !!", and it may be, but then my job is to help them to see it for what it really is.

Worrying about my own little sore spots such as my knee today (an ant) , and then thinking about the patients across the road facing their own battles ( elephants) is a major perspective pill.  Whenever we think we are doing it hard, it only takes a few seconds to think about anyone doing it harder and perspective becomes so much more clearer.

Well Readers,

I could bang on and on about the benefits of a positive mindset as it is something that I have always tried to maintain and have a passion for. I find it flows into my work and the way that I find I can establish great relationships with the kids in my class ( when I'm there 😖 !!) and hopefully with my colleagues.

Any of the books I have mentioned, plus "The Imperfects' podcast are resources that I can't speak highly enough of. 

At a time when my positivity has been sorely tested lately, I have these things, plus my amazing friends and family who continue to support me through what is an extremely testing time.

Until my next post, (and next stick of incense 🤣)

Cheers !! 😀

 Remember The Old School Days?

Hi Readers,

Been a bit slack lately with my posts, Easter, visitors, hospital visits etc.

Just a load of excuses, when really, if I got myself motivated I'd have done a few posts by now.

I actually did do a post a week or so ago, but deliberately didn't plug it or advertise it, just to see if it might be looked at without me promoting it. If you haven't read it, it's just below  this one.

Today's post is not an 'incense burner', so if that style turned you off, keep reading !

I do have posts on my mind a lot, as there is a notepad on the table and whenever I get an idea I scribble it down quickly. That takes all of 10 seconds, whereas the post itself may take an hour or more as I always tend to digress as I waffle !!!

As you may know, I have been visiting a family member each day in hospital due to serious illness. The nurses and doctors know I'm a teacher, and as we have all been to school at some stage in our lives, everyone has an opinion on school. 

Agree?

When people really begin to voice strong opinions on the state of schooling I tend not to engage them, I just let them have their rant. Usually it's a lost cause trying to reason with some people, so I just change the direction of the 'discussion' and say something like "Well, it was a lot different in our day". 

Safe and non threatening, and generally doesn't escalate their argument.

And this got me thinking.

How different was it "back in the day" ?

For some of you, this might only be a few years ago.

Many others I know who read this will go back more than 30 or 40 years.

Myself, my primary school days were pretty much in the 70's ( 1970's, and NOT the 1870's for those of you who are thinking this !!)

As soon as I thought about some of the things we did, or had done to us, I started to wonder about the safety, danger, carelessness, fun and everything else that these events presented, and although they were accepted back then, what would the reaction be if they happened today ???

I daresay most of them would appear on 'A Current Affair" in no time at all and be front page newspaper fodder.

And as I think about things from my primary school years, what things are we doing now that will be similarly cringeworthy in 30-40 year's time?

We might be doing things now that we see as 'best practice' that in the future will be looked back upon as reprehensible. And I put myself in this basket.

Kids that I'm teaching now could very well be telling their own kids down the track "We had this teacher called Mr K and he would....." and they would be gobsmacked.

Today they might see this things as great learning and fun, and in the future be totally aghast at what I was doing.

Probably more of the latter to be honest !!!

So, allow me to reminisce about some of the things we got  up to, and hopefully I'm triggering some memories for each of you. You'll be amazed at how many things will come back to you, things that you may not have thought about for years.

Leave some thoughts in the comments box below, it just takes one reader to start the ball rolling there, so who is going to be the first brave soul ??

Here we go...

The Incinerator

Many of my readers will relate to this as we went to the same primary school. I won't name it as in this world today everyone is looking to sue for anything and everything that has happened to them. Some rightfully, but many very dubious.

At our small country school, just next to the Boy's toilets was a little enclosure with an incinerator. Basically just a big steel box with a steel panel door on the front and a chimney.

Keep in mind that this was well before the days of recycling, as that word was not something that we had heard about then !

Every few days, usually at the end of the lunch break, the nuns would send a few of us (usually the older grades) down to the incinerator with whatever rubbish there was and in it would go. Mostly paper and cardboard, but I also remember general rubbish often being tipped in as well. 

Smoke would be going everywhere as we usually overloaded it in order to get maximum effect.

Of course, there was the obligatory 'smoking', where we would roll up a piece of paper to mimic a cigarette and 'smoke ' it, when in fact all we got was a mouthful of dirty smoke and perhaps singed hair as it was usually fully alight !

All sorts of fun would be had getting the biggest fire going, and how we never set the adjoining bush alight was a miracle.

If anything, the lighting of the incinerator at least killed the toxic smell of the Boy's toilets next door, that was just a rank place to enter at the best of times.

Can you imagine this happening these days? Driving past a school and seeing a group of kids having the time of their lives with a roaring fire. 

Unsupervised of course !!!

Maths

I really love teaching maths and enjoy it, but this wasn't always the case.

I can clearly remember a time in Gr 2 when we were learning all about using the multiplication symbol ( X ) and for some reason I just couldn't understand it.

I know it seems strange now, but at the time I just couldn't understand why there was an X in between two numbers eg 2 x 4

Each time I went up to the nun ( name witheld, but she was very tiny. That will be a clue to some of you ) she just got madder and madder at me for 'not knowing', as I was pretty good at maths at that point. Because I had always displayed ability at maths, she was just assuming that I'd understand this, which I clearly didn't.

The fear, embarrassment and shame I felt that day is something that I've never forgotten, and I hope I've never made anyone in my class feel that way.

But it was something else she would do sometimes that would get any teacher sacked on the spot nowadays.

When it came to drills for our "Times Tables" (I detest that term !!) we would line up in two rows.

The front people in each row would be asked a question, eg "Three times four".

If you answered it correctly first, you went to the back of your line and a new person for your team was at the front.

Get it wrong and you got a whack on the hand from a ruler she held. You then had to sit out.

Gradually the number of children was whittled down to the last two. Everyone got a whack at some point except the eventual winner.

I can vividly remember the looks of defeat on the faces of some of my friends who knew that they would get whacked early and then have to sit out. How this was ever going to help them learn still escapes me, and even back then I was questioning this approach.

But I never raised it with the nun, as I would have got a whack for doing so.

The Tank

At our school there was an old galvanised iron rainwater tank that had been replaced with a newer one. Rather than throw it out, it was left in the school yard for us to use. Those nuns never wasted an opportunity !!

Many of us scored our first 'pash' in the tank, as it was a great place to hide in during lunch and recess for a bit of 'privacy'.

At the school there was also a big hill in the playground. When I see that hill these days it hardly looks big at all, but back in those days it was huge to me.

We would take the tank to the top of the hill and a few kids would hop in it.

We'd then push it down the hill and the kids inside would hopefully not get thrown out as it rolled down the hill at ever increasing speeds.

Yes, there were some injuries, as I remember one classmate actually breaking her arm one day as we did this. In the classroom after lunch the poor girl was in such pain, but the teacher at the time just dismissed it as a silly playground injury that would be fixed by 'having a drink of water and sitting in the shade" !

The See Saw

You'd be lucky to find one these in any school these days, let alone in any playground.

We had a few at our school, and rarely were they used for the purpose for which they were designed.

Gentle 'Seeing' and "Sawing" ? No chance !!

One activity was to put one person on one end. They would lay on their stomach and wrap their arms and legs around it and hang on for dear life.

The braver ones would put their heads closer to the end of the plank, while the meeker ones ( or more sensible ) put their head facing the centre. Sometimes you would place yourself closer to the middle, and as you got braver, or just managed to survive, you'd edge close and closer to the end.

Meanwhile, any number of other kids would push down as hard as they could on the other end, trying to dislodge you. Often kids would get thrown off, often getting hurt, but as this was sort of expected, it was therefore accepted !

Sometimes we'd even have two kids on the one side trying to get dislodged.

As the planks on the see saw weren't of the greatest quality, I distinctly remember one of them being super flexible, which definitely gave the 'pushers' a distinct advantage.

Once again, how would you feel driving past a school today and seeing this !!

The Swing

We had a large swing similar to the one above, and as I write I can clearly remember the distinct squeaking sound it made.

Isn't it weird how a sound comes back to me 50 years later.

We would do exactly what these kids are doing, and the challenge was to stay in the middle for a s long as you could.

If more than one person was in the middle, big decisions had to be made:

1. Do we sit with our legs straddling the plank, or hanging over one side ( ie sitting side by side)

2. Do we all sit facing the same way or facing each other ?

3. Are we allowed to hang on or is it hands free ?

Decisions !!!

There was also the solo challenge, where there would be a child on each end generating the force ( see, it was educational too, Primary School Physics #101 !!) or kids standing on the ground at each end and giving it almighty shoves.

One child would be on the swing laying down in the middle with their arms and legs tightly wrapped around the plank. The challenge was to see how high you could go without coming off. Many times some kids were able to remain on it even as the plank hit the supporting bars at the top !!

The ultimate challenge was to do this standing up on the plank and doing it hands free.

Success at this meant you were were either brave, stupid, or a combination of the two.

Once again, the number of injuries sustained here are too innumerable to mention, but it was just seen as an accepted consequence back then !!

Guns

As we lived in a small country town, many of us grew up around guns as we would often go duck, quail, rabbit and fox shooting.

We had rifles, shotguns and air rifles and thought nothing of it.

Looking back, we were very safe with them as we used them so often, but people today would be horrified to know what we did with them back in the day.

I remember one year for the school play I had a role as an explorer in Africa.

To make my role even more authentic, I asked my teacher if I could bring a gun from home to make the character even more believable.

"Great idea" she said, and for the next few weeks I carried a shotgun on the bus to school each day ( no ammunition of course !) to use as a prop in our school play !!

Safety was paramount as you'd imagine, so mum and dad made me wrap it up in a towel !

There were days at school where kids would be picking it up and pointing it around and this was considered to be perfectly normal.

Another time, for Show and Tell ( better known as "Lies and Rubbish" !) I brought in our air rifle and a box of slugs for it.

The teacher then let me do a demo out in the yard and the kids all took turns at having a few shots at a target out in the playground.

Again, can you imagine the outrage if you saw a 10 year old carrying a shotgun onto a bus, or kids out in the playground shooting at a target ??

I know we can look back now and be outraged, but back then it was seen as completely normal.

So what are we doing now that in 30-40 years time will be causing people to be outraged?

I can't think of anything right now, as we believe that what we are doing now is 'best practice', but who is to say that in the future it won't be ridiculed?

While I ponder this, I'm thinking that it may be something around the use of phones and cameras, and how everything is immediately captured and posted on social media.

Like me, how many of you often think "I'm glad that mobile phones weren't around back in my day"????

Well Readers,

Just a few recollections, and I'm sure you'd have lots to share as well. Perhaps this post might just get you talking about them again ? No point worrying about them as we can't change the things we can't control, and the past is certainly one of those.

And there some other examples I would have loved to share, but I was worried about the implications if anyone wanted to launch a lawsuit against me, my classmates or former teachers !! I know I joke about that, but there is also an element of truth in it sadly.

I was just so lucky with my upbringing, and it was events such as these that I remember with such fondness.

I could have included more stories about growing up in the pub that our parents ran, and how we would sometimes sneak in and pinch a few beers from the storage shed now and then..... but that's a story for another day.

Until my next post Readers...

Cheers 😁

P.s. I sat down 2 hours ago to do this, it felt like 20 mins as it was just so good recalling these memories.

Flow !!!!