Appreciating Life

I have always had a problem in seeing the glass as even half full. Over the years I have slowly become better at it, but I am very likely to slip back into old habits even now.

For example, yesterday Janet and I had lunch in Brunswick Gardens and saw a magnificent old plane tree. We then went to the British Museum and I finally saw the Sutton Hoo helmet which I had always been fascinated by since childhood. I also saw some fantastic items made by my Huguenot ancestors. Finally we went to an exhibition of drawings by my favourite artist,  Constable. We went to McDonald’s which I never really like but remarkably it was actually hot for the first time in ages! I called it The Miracle of Warren Street as that was the station opposite 🤣🤣 Finally we went to the Emirates for the first time this season to watch Arsenal Women’s Team. As ever the atmosphere of inclusivity was uplifting.

Sadly, Arsenal were rubbish in front of goal and ended up rescuing a point with just over a minute remaining. The train home thanks to typical short sightedness by Southeastern had 6 coaches instead of 12 and we ended up standing most of the way while I fumed!

So, what did Janet remember? The positive paragraph above.  What did I remember? The much shorter negative paragraph! Over the years I have wasted so many good experiences by concentrating on the occasional negatives. Holidays, days out, my birthday and even Christmas Days have been consigned to the list of disappointing experiences. Thanks to Janet and also to meditation I am slowly getting better but at the age of 61 my basic nature will never change. It frustrates me so much that I do it especially as I know I am doing it, and I know what the effect is on me and the people around me.

Just as a reminder to me, here’s some photos of the good things from yesterday.