Life is a Drama, a Comedy or a Tragedy

 Life is a Drama, a Comedy or a Tragedy

Hi Readers,

Well this is a first. 3 posts in a week, and possibly more to follow as I have some other ideas to write about, plus some enforced rest time that I need to take after my recent surgeries. I got a bit eager yesterday in the garden and started to do a little bit of edging with the lawn, and one thing lead to another and an hour or so later I'd done the front and back lawns.

All one handed of course, but I've still woken up so sore today that I really need to remind myself that the shoulder is just operating on its own time frame for recovery!! 

Hence another post.

In previous posts you'd be aware that I'm a massive fan of the TV series "Ted Lasso", possibly the best series I've ever watched. Not just because of the entertainment value, but more about the life lessons that are intertwined throughout the events across each episode. I've had countless discussions with a few colleagues at school who are similar devotees, and when each episode was aired I'd be texting constantly with one of my sisters as we discussed the virtue of each episode.

As we all know, one only has to whisper the name of something near your phone and almost immediately you'll be bombarded with links, ads, and goodness knows what else about what you had been talking about. I'd been talking about Ted Lasso on the phone earlier in the day, and sure enough my feed was soon loaded with all things Ted later in the day. Not that I minded, but it made me thankful that I hadn't been talking about incontinence pants, mobility scooters or retirement homes!!!

These things probably are ahead of me !!!

There was one quote that I saw on one particular page that really resonated with me, and that's where I'm going with my post today.

And this is it.

Our life is usually a Drama, a Comedy or a Tragedy.

My first impression was that this was probably pretty close to the mark, and that there could be lots of other terms that we could use here as well.

And then it got me thinking that sometimes I think that I'm experiencing one of these more than the other, other times I feel that I get all three in the one day, and most times I just can't figure out if I think I'm experiencing one of them, when it's more likely I'm experiencing one of the others!

Also, while I might see myself experiencing one of them, others might be looking at me from the outside and considering that I'm going through a totally different one. I guess it depends on perspective. The same applies when I look at others and see what they are going through.

In recent posts I have discussed the concept of 'ants and elephants', where we can tend to catastrophise events in our lives, and make them bigger than they need to be, and this could also influence if we see things as drama, comedies or tragedies.

So, let me look at each in turn.

Drama

This is probably the most prevalent one with me, as I have tended to see little things as bigger issues. Two years ago I was much worse with it, but after the events in that time I really did learn about perspective in such a terrible way. Whereas I might have tended to rush in without thinking through things clearly, I probably have moved too far in the opposite direction now, and could easily give the impression that perhaps I don't care about things as much.

Trust me when I say that I do still care, it's just that I probably don't display the amount of concern that most people do, as I see that it isn't the biggest hassle facing me right now.

For example, after living in Melbourne for 6 months, I came back home and our garden was a disaster zone. The lawns were unkempt, loads of plants had died and the ones that were still hanging on looked like they were having a permanent plant version of a hangover.

We had put so much work into this garden after buying the house 2 years previously, and I've always been fastidious about keeping our gardens neat and tidy in each house that we have owned. In normal circumstances this would have been a MASSIVE drama for me, and I'd be madly rushing about trying to fix everything all at once, or as quickly as possible.

BUT... after what we had just been through, I found that although I was disappointed with what confronted me, I just didn't let it bother me. There were worse things to worry about, and that mindset has stayed with me since. Sure, the garden needed work, but it would get done. It might take a long time, or a short time, but letting it become a drama didn't consume me, so I was able to get on top of it gradually without blowing every vein in my body!!

I even remember someone saying to me something like ""Oh boy, you sure do have a lot of things in your way now". I know that they meant well, but after taking my perspective pill, an untidy garden was the least of my worries.

Hardly a drama at all.

However, in my own mind I felt a certain level of 'drama' as the school year drew to a close. I'm very open in saying that I struggle with many aspects of the teaching of Literacy at school ( clearly not my strength!) but also when it comes to the various testing and reporting...well that's where I feel they need to take me behind the shed and shoot me !!!!

Luckily I work with extremely supportive colleagues who are too kind to agree with me about my literary abilities, maybe I'm creating a drama for them in always reaching out for support?

I'd nearly say that's the only time I really sense any element of 'drama', and upon reflection as I write this I can see that it is pretty pathetic in the big scheme of things !

Other times that I start to sense 'drama' when in fact it is just an annoyance?

* Missing the turn at the airport to where I need to park my car in the long term carpark, and having to go around again, adding 15 mins to my trip. 

* Putting the dishwasher on before I go to work, only to come home at the end of the day to find that I didn't press 'Start'

* Washing my car, then it rains.

* Opening one of my home brew beers, and discover that it didn't carbonate (fizz up) Then I wonder if it was just that one bottle, or the whole batch of 60

* Mowing the lawns and the battery runs out with only about 2-3 mins of lawn left to mow

* Not being able to ride my motorbike, as much as I totally love doing it.

Readers, I know these are trivial moments, but when they happen we can tend to give them more attention than what they deserve, changing our behaviour and sometimes how we then react to others.

I fully understand that in our lives we encounter more serious events that really do deserve to be treated as dramas, and I'm not for a moment neglecting these. 

A sick child, losing your job, an illness, copping an injury. All of these things can affect our lives. What I'm saying is that we can tend to park our less than serious 'dramas' with the ones that definitely require our attention, and this just adds to our stress.

Message from this?

Identify your dramas and treat them accordingly .

Tragedy

I won't dwell on this too much, as I feel it isn't fair to try and judge what anyone else is going through.

I do feel though that perhaps we use the term too loosely at times, mistaking things that aren't great with things that are definitely tragic.

Losing a pet. Having your car stolen. Losing a Grand Final at the last minute.

I've heard these things being referred to as a tragedy, but really?

Before you all start waving your fingers at me in disagreement, I totally understand that we use the term loosely without really thinking. I do it all the time as well.

For example, I thought that when Richmond lost the 2018 Preliminary Final and Mason Cox torched us, it was a tragedy. But I got over it.

For me, tragedy is more aligned to the events that confront us that are incredibly hard to understand, work through or recover from. We have all probably had these at different times in our lives, and for me the tragedy of what Jen went through has had such a profound impact that I now see my 'dramas' as being selfish, and that I have nothing to worry about at all. Whenever I think that something is hard for me, all I need to do is reflect on what happened with her and I'm slapped back into reality pretty quickly !!

For you?

I just hope that you are able to find ways to cope with whatever tragedies have occurred in your lives, and that you have support around you for any that may occur in the future.

Comedy

Well Readers, this is the section I find it easiest to comment on.

As many of you would know, I've been under the knife a fair bit in the past 12 months in particular, to the point where my situation is just laughable.

I've had people say that it has been a tragic year for me due to the number of surgeries, or that it has been a drama filled year due to them. I couldn't disagree with them more !!

Maybe they say it because they have not experienced it, and I get that, but as far as I'm concerned I can only laugh at myself and the predicaments I get myself into.

Jen did make me promise that I'd get "all my bits fixed", but now the doctors see me coming and just start rubbing their hands gleefully. I'm sure I've paid for a number of their holidays and investment properties over the years !!

As soon as I have had one body part fixed another one pipes up with "How about me now?"

My attitude towards this must be infectious with the kids I taught last year ( wow, already calling 2023 'last year') as they would walk past me in the classroom with an exaggerated limp with a limp arm trailing as well. Even I could laugh at them laughing at me. 🤣

I could have easily rebuked them for being what others saw as disrespectful ( I surely didn't) but if I saw my situation as laughable, then why shouldn't they?

There were even times when they would move my trolley to the other side of the room, or hide my crutches or walking stick. Even during sport, which I could sort of sometimes do, they would walk just out of my reach, knowing full well that I wouldn't be able to catch them.

On the other hand (no pun intended ) they would also go out of their way to assist me when they saw when I was struggling. God bless them!!

It hasn't been just this year with my injuries, as I've managed to be pretty consistent with getting something patched up every year or two. Mostly all my own fault, so there's no-one to blame except myself !! I've woken up today with a swollen ankle and very sore shoulder. My response? Laugh at myself !!🤣

I mentioned previously that my 'drama' is my literacy skills. Or lack of them to be more precise. That's also my Comedy as I'm able to laugh at my own inability to teach something as well as my colleagues. Rather than try and pretend that I'm on top of it, I choose to embrace the fact that I know where my weaknesses are, and rather than try and fluff my way through, I'll openly talk about it and seek the help I need.

It's quite refreshing to identify and name the the things about oneself that others may be concerned about, but you are prepared to laugh about. Please don't think that I'm dismissing them and not caring about them, I do. 

It's just that I'm not letting them get me down as there are far worse things in life to be worried about.

I'm pretty confident that when we start school again in a few weeks, one of the first questions I'll get from some of my colleagues will be "So what operation are you having done next?" And I'll just reply with a laugh, "Who knows?"

My life really is a comedy right now, and it's the attitude that enables me to get on with things in a positive manner, rather than walking around dragging everyone down around me.

Well Readers,

More fluff and rambling, but I've enjoyed it. I have another idea that I'm swishing around in my mind at the moment, so here's the teaser...

What are some things that you just know, for no particular reason at all ?

Wishing you all a Happy New Year, and once again, feel free to hit the comments tab below.

Until my next post,

Cheers 😁

i