My life seems to have speeded up.
Iâm not sure why, as I donât have elderly parents or children to care for but the months are really zipping by. In these times I am making a special effort to take note of the small things, the apparently insignificant things that have often occurred in the past and almost bypassed my brain.
The conscious decision to become more aware of these momentary happinesses, if thatâs a word, has been a series of sudden deaths. None of them in my immediate circle but either public figures or local residents that Iâve heard have died unexpectedly since the year began. I am coming up to my sixty fifth birthday and Iâm aware that I still have much I want to share with the wider world. I donât want to run out of time âď¸ !
However I also want to make the most of my day to day life and not take small kindnesses for granted.
My local pub, The Railway Arms, is a proper English drinking pub, it always has been and it always will be. The brewery tried to turn it into an upmarket eatery a few years ago but failed miserably. Itâs not plush but itâs clean and it has a warm welcoming atmosphere which in my mind is its unique selling point. As an older single woman I have no qualms walking in on my own. Iâve got to know the locals, a wide variety of people of different ages and backgrounds and I feel comfortable there. I value this rag tag community as I donât have any family locally and work as a sole trader support worker part time and an author / writer the remainder of the time. Both of these are solitary occupations; although I get on well with my client the relationship is professional, not the same as a friend relationship.
With this backdrop youâll see why an invite to share a cooked breakfast today at the local market was something to be grateful for and eagerly anticipated.
Last night I had the pleasure of attending a very different social event. Being International Womenâs Day my local womenâs networking group had organised a social meet up in a beautiful boutique in the market town centre. I had met a couple of the ladies before but was nervous to go due to the salubrious setting. I didnât think Iâd fit in.
Do you ever feel that way?
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Carolynâs Talking Points to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.