A Good Crack at Adulting

So, it's been a while. No. Not like that. Well. Not just like that! Over four years! And let's be honest, the 2014 return was a bit of a token gesture. 

In my writing/blogging pomp six years ago (SIX YEARS!), if you'd call it that, I managed pretty much a monthly post, on top of completing an OU Creative Writing course and managing a Facebook group for like minded writey types. A lot of my blogs were either creative writing snippets or random musings. Then, well, following a change of job - back in to the career I love following a 20 month credit crunch enforced exile - I found a goldmine of excuses that were stopping me from writing.

I didn't have time.
I spent all day, most days, writing in one form or another.
I was working on something bigger than a blog.
Perhaps I lost a bit of that spark.

In the interim I was definitely missing something so I've decided it's time to make time. That and I think, seven years on from my initial musings, maybe I have a different perspective and a different outlook on life.

Yes. I'm adulting. Well, I'm trying. I bought a property, one in which I occasionally bake, read, mow the lawn, plant herbs! I have a career not just a job. My friends are all getting married, having kids, doing, you know, grown up things. OK, I'm still working on those bits! But for the most part, I'm giving it a real go. The missing step I guess, was pointed out succinctly by a taxi driver at the weekend who, until we were almost at my chosen destination, I genuinely liked! Our conversation covered a number of areas, working history (RAF, miner, taxi driver), the issues of people not paying, tips, cars, and then family, all wrapped in his warm, West Indian tones.

He'd been married four times, an old school patriarch, and asked about my own status. No, no wife. No, no girlfriend at the moment either. Children, not that I know of (standard joke in response to that question now - though best not said to anyone under the age of 18 as it brings with it complex questions that are a struggle to answer in a polite way).
"Well, you get to live the high life I bet. All that freedom" he rejoiced, "how old are you?"
"37" I replied.
"Ah, you'd best look to settle down then." came his reply.......thanks!

So I thought that, as well perhaps as the odd bit of creative writing from time to time, I may start to write a little more on just that. Being single, dating and trying my damnedest at adulting as my mid-30s lean alarmingly towards my mid-to-late 30s. We'll see how it goes.

Back in Black......and White

It’s difficult to write nowadays.

There are that many outlets for social media that it’s hard to pass a day without knowing what everyone in the world is thinking. As soon as an opinion is spawned or thought sparks in to life it’s normally there in text for us all to see and be made aware of. I’m not one to Tweet. I rarely have a Facebook status that exhibits my inner most thoughts or outpouring of my joy/dismay at any recent news story. This year I even opted out of a generic “Happy New Year to all” post. My problem with all of this is that really, it’s all a bit predictable and boring.

I am of course delighted to see any friends getting married, engaged, having kids, getting a dog…….even a cat….maybe…..but the rest of it – I’m hungry, tired, fed up with a colleague, annoyed at the sky, frustrated by the rain or any of the rest of it - let’s be honest none of us are really that interested in be it from me or anyone else.

The other issue that I have is that really it makes it hard to write anything fresh. Having been a frequent writer and blogger it all of a sudden got a little bit difficult – what can you say about any event, small or large, that’s not already instantly been written about a thousand times in varying degrees of inane musings? Before you even start to put a piece together any research is muddied and clouded by a tidal wave of information, mostly horrendously un-factual and ill-informed but all burying the detail in a torrent of, well, crap.

So there are a few options left. Either be blooming quick off the mark and become a journalist, beat everyone to the punch and all that. Sadly I feel it may be a little late in the day to engineer that career change from, well, engineering. The other options are to get back in to the creative stuff, which I love and will do at some point, or find other more obsolete things to ponder. Things that are personal but, maybe, may be of enough interest to garner and, hopefully, entertain an audience. We’ll see.

In earnest I suppose this is one of those posts. Something that I doubt will honestly be of vast interest to anyone but it had to start somewhere. Essentially – I am writing…….again! I should’ve just sent a Tweet…….

The Olympian’s Spirit

Four years isn’t all I’ve had to train, almost ten years I have abstained from bars and fatty fast food chains to snatch those PB busting gains.

Now London 2012 does call, a beacon in the urban sprawl, I must not stop - I can not stall, if I’m to go and give my all.

No watching from my TV screen, I’m at the greatest show I’ve seen, its opening night - this feels obscene with Bond and our sky-diving Queen.

Off to the village then to rest, to mentally prepare to test myself against the worldwide best, adorned with my own GB vest.

The thumping of my aching feet, to simply win the opening heat, it’s already my greatest feat, but victory would taste so sweet.

And now my heart won’t cease to pound as I pace up and down the ground, no respite peace or quiet found between the first and second round.

But to my mother’s own relief and shock of the athletics chief I’m in the pre-final de-brief, somehow, against all true belief.

Get set, waiting for starter's gun, a spring about to be un-sprung then run and run and run and run, flash, wait – could I have really won?

I’m trying hard to fight back tears, it’s what I’d waited all these years for beating all those shocks and fears and tonight, believe me, there’ll be some beers.

For whilst I could not match the pace I’ll take silver and second place and smile’s upon the nation’s face – then I’ll be back, just watch this space.

So to all you kids who’re at the start, but want to win let me impart you don’t need wealth, there’s no dark art – you too can win if you’ve the heart.