Learning from the past

 

Every day starts out pretty much as any other for most of us unless we're planning on going somewhere special we follow routines feeling confident that today will be like yesterday and no doubt tomorrow with a change here or there but otherwise of itself uneventful.

So it's hardly a surprise we become accustomed to the idea that everything will remain 'just so' which to be honest is one thing I sure loved when I was younger, the whole certainty with its sense of well-being from repeating that pattern week after week.

Every so often though, something comes along and knocks it over. You feel lost if not numb and bewildered too as it seemed to going along so well.

It is okay to feel that way, sad things happen, we hurt and a good number of us are hurting right now. 

I can't speak for all of you but things often seem to go in cycles and my last lot of cycles have seen me  do different things, learn and improve on skills that I've struggled with, form new and more helpful friendships and understand more about myself and others too.

All those things can and are helping me deal with this because they've given not only ears to listen and understand how I may feel but also the strength to carry on when I just feel like lying there crying (and I know that feeling so well).

You know, those we miss so much would never of wanted us to stay like that forever and you might imagine this friendly nudge coming out urging you on, reminding you can start again, even if we find it hard.

Personally, I feel it's helpful to think about those things that I have reason to be thankful for over the years from the situations that just appeared from nowhere and to which I had no real plan for. 

Just thinking about it, my life has changed quite a lot in the last ten years for the better and much of that isn't down to some super medical recovery on my part but more because I've been working on dealing with more how it's handed out to me, making the most of it smiling even through some of the Meh moments.

It is easy to get into a cycle of beating yourself up when things aren't going to plan, thinking we are useless (been there and done it) or feeling guilty over things that maybe we didn't have that much of a say over but I'm going to try to get on with life the best I can from now on.

That's a much of lesson from my childhood that I can use today and maybe it's of some use to you.

Taking advantage of the opportunity

 

Sissies like me may be an anomaly but it is our individual traits that makes us the person we are, that we are selves and not just a uniform mass, as if we'd been all cloned. 

It may be lockdown but that's a good time to read about female movements some of our closest friends belong to and why it mattered to them at that time as much as I was more for Cubs.

It's also a time to read the girls comics I never got around to because of the gender bias and even bullying that happened when I grew up because I wanted to read them too being drawn to them.

There's no reason why I shouldn't use this period to have a better childhood if it helps and I think it will.

Changed situations

The year is shaping up into something rather different than we were expecting even in February of this year where we just have been unable to travel more than a few miles out of our district centres with few buses and trains running.

This means of course that being able to see each other unless you were able to use Zoom and the like wasn't possible so social contact is less and with lots of people you find you don't take the same trouble to dress when you won't be seeing friends around.

It maybe as well given few clothes shops are open as only "essential" businesses can open and even they have restrictions like wearing masks, fewer people in at any one time and more difficulties with returns least we pick up the virus on garments.

To me the best thing to do us try to use whatever options we have to spend time away from large numbers out doors and dress as feminine as we can at home when we can't to keep our spirits up.

Comic memories

 We're looking back at the past this time.

You all know I loved the Dandy and looked forward to the Summer Specials and this was one I had back in 1972 which I recently bought a new copy in pretty decent condition given we ready them cover to cover several times over that featured many of my favourite characters and cartoon strip series.

The essential Winker Watson featured wrangling out of things and as befitted that era Form Master Creepy had his cane out at Greytowers awaiting Boodle and in another strip no less than three canings are featured in one story!

That was so relatable to our generation

Every year D C Thomson do a compilation of past strips from the Beano and Dandy and this one from 2007 was all from the 1970's where they like Tiger were essential boy comic reading.

Re-reading this brought back a lot of memories not least where they tied into the current affairs of the day such as space missions and the advent of Punk.