Does it ever get cold on the moral high ground?

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!