We’ve all been there – yes, you have – the disapproving look you give when your best friend’s had too much to drink. Just like you’ve never done that! I’m only human, you take the moral high ground but they are smug.
It’s all about perspective.
| I’m only human | You take the Moral High Ground | They are unbearably smug |
| I got drunk | You wouldn’t get drunk as it would be irresponsible | They never drink |
| My children are good | Your children good citizens | Their children perfect |
| I’m going to give up smoking | You’ve given up smoking to protect others from the dangers of passive smoking. | They’ve never smoked |
| I had an affair | Your marriage vows are sacred | Their husband loves them too much for them to have an affair. |
| I’m going on a diet next week because I want to buy a new dress | You’re on a diet because you owe it to your family to stay healthy | They’ve never dieted because they are naturally slim |
| I stole some sweets when I was a child | You wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if you stole something | They have never felt the need to steal. |
| I’m always getting parking tickets | You never park thoughtlessly. | They use public transport. |
| I know I shouldn’t gossip but … | You don’t gossip because it can be hurtful. | They don’t gossip, they only repeat what they’ve been told |
| I’ve spent lockdown faffing about | You’ve spent lockdown helping others and learning another language. | They’ve spent lockdown working harder than ever at home while looking after their family. |
| I get up about 8.00 am and have a strong cup of coffee and a cigarette. | You get up at 7.00 am to meditate before the day begins | They always up at 6.00 am as they have so much to do. |
| I’d love to have a nose job | You wouldn’t spend money on a nose job, you’d rather spend the money on your children | Their nose is perfect |
| I read trashy novels | You read improving books to your blind neighbour | They never have time to read. |
You get the picture! This pandemic has been pretty testing and we are all doing our best (most of us anyway) but there will always be someone who is doing it better than you. Don’t worry about it. None of us are perfect and it is our imperfections that make us so loveable – at least that is what I tell myself. We’re human beings, we’re fallible and we need to remember this. Sometimes people (particularly us oldies) say the wrong thing – we use a word that we’re not supposed to! When I was young a pouffe was a cushioned footstool. We had a big squishy leather one at home. Then it became Poof which was (according to my friend Mr Google) a word invented by Monty Python and was Extremely Disparaging and Offensive, a contemptuous term used to refer to a gay man. However, it can also be used to describe a sudden disappearance, as in, ‘once you’ve used it, poof—it’s gone’. Can we use it – can’t we use it? Too much for my poor old brain. And then there’s Gay. There was a wonderful book called Our Hearts Were Young Gay. written in the 1940s by Cornelia Otis Skinner about two girls in Paris in the 1920s. It’s going to a big disappointment to any unsuspecting young person who happens to pick it up in a second hand bookshop.
Anyway, we’ve got Christmas to get through. The human spirit is pretty amazing and we will make the best of it. Just try reading some wartime accounts of life in England in those far off days. We may be suffering – but at least most of us are doing it with central heating and no food rationing!
Happy Christmas!
Has Anyone Seen My Glasses? 
Thank you Dear Stella. Another amusing and insightful blog. With so much going on and Christmas I would think it is fairly difficult to know what to take the high ground on.
I will phone you to try and meet up for walk/meal/giggle or hopefully all three. Am off to Dani David & co for Christmas Day which I am really looking forward to.
Loads of love Anniexxxx
Sent from my iPad
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Haha – not only is being TOO good boring, it’s also exhausting. I no longer have the time, energy or inclination to ‘fix’ my
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Oops – fix my imperfections 😊
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What imperfections? Seriously, it would be quite boring to be perfect – no point in buying any self0improvement books!
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Stella. Here is a subject I am seeking your opinion on. Why is it that it appears acceptable to travel by car or van, along our single track lane, 1 mile long and throw, cans, fast food cartons, bottles and fag packets out of the windows. On August Bank Holiday, I walked the length on the lane, litter picking and filled 17 black plastic bags, which I placed next to the litter bins on the junction with the main road. I do this now several times a year and now the bags are filled with Red Bull and Beer cans, tossed into the hedges and banks that in a few weeks from now will be overflowing with wild flowers.
At the risk of sounding like Victor Meldrew, am I on my own in thinking that our society is breaking down and we are loosing the battle, why do so many youths and brain dead numpties, destroy the beauty of our countryside ?
I will continue to clean up other morons mess, because if I don’t, nobody else will and a small amount of litter, will soon attract a considerable amount of more.
Stella, any thoughts? Please help.
Richard
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That is so extraordinary – I was thinking the exact same thing yesterday. What drives people to take a full drink bottle with them and jut toss it out of the car window when they’ve drunk it. Are they so fastidious about the inside of their vehicles? Perhaps all cars should have an integrated waste bag! Many years ago we were in Malawi where there was no rubbish at all. Old soft drink cans were saved to be flattened out to patch a roof. Plastic bags were kept for shopping, and of course food wasn’t as over packaged as it is now. On a brighter note I do notice that our National Parks seem cleaner – perhaps because people are too lazy to walk very far!
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