#50finethings 26 – 30

#50finethings:  26 – 30      

26 Dance

Sometimes I dance in the shops.

Only the shops that play music, but that’s where sometimes I dance. 

Not just a foot tapping type of dancing, but a shoulder swivelling, pelvis hip swinging, finger clicking form of dancing, and it’s even better when I sing along as I groove down the frozen food section.    

I don’t know when the public dancing habit started. 

Probably it started when we all still wore masks so that you couldn’t tell who was singing, or who was screaming. 

I like to do it.

Sometimes, I catch a glimpse of this 50-year-old woman, swaying to the music and enjoying herself, so I blow her a kiss, and I wish her well.

27 Consume Less

One of the best things for the earth, is to consume less.

It’s a simple objective, which makes all decisions much more straightforward:  should I buy X or Y? 

Neither. 

Just consume less.

Less of everything is better for the earth:  less fuel, water, unsustainably grown food, fashion, social media, earbuds, sun cream…just buy less.

“Ah but Ruth, you don’t understand the complexities of my unique situation and the importance of my desires!”

Oh, but I do.

Also, I’m not talking about YOU, I’m talking about ME.

I only have control over my thoughts, words, and actions.  I’m going to consume less; you do what you must do.  I’m not the boss of you.

Whenever I think about the fact that the human species might be extinct quite soon, I don’t feel anything.  Maybe I’m a sociopath, but I can’t generate real feelings for the future people.  Of course, I feel sad for the very last homo-sapiens, in the same way I felt sad for the last Neanderthals.  But it’s an academic, abstract sensation that I’m not going to make any changes for.

Rather, when I think of my family and friends, who are living now, then I want them to live with clean air and water, decent non-poisoning food, and be safe from fire and flood.  I honestly think the best way to start to do that is to try and consume, much, much less of it all. 

All of it, less of it, and then less of it again.

28 #addthe10th

I work for Dublin City PPN, which has recently joined a campaign to #addthe10th

The aim of this campaign is to add “socio-economic discrimination” to Irish equality and employment legislation, and I’m very excited to get involved.  Presently, there are nine grounds for discrimination under the law, and this campaign hopes to add the 10^th.

29 Enjoy midsummer

Planning for a whole year was absurd. 

Still, here we are midway through this one, and whether we like it or not, it’s midsummer.  Some people find the long days melancholy, and I know a few people who prefer the cosiness of the winter nights. 

Not me. 

I love the long, bright evenings, and the seemingly never-ending sunset hours.  I like the blue light, and the sounds of people doing daytime activities in the evening:  running in the park, swimming in the sea, having picnics on wooden benches.

Our ancestors celebrated midsummer, and so should we in ways that suit our days.  I like nod to the sun, and thank it quietly, and I wish it well with all its future endeavours.

30 Be Resilient

It’s easy for me to be resilient when I have food, shelter, and employment security, and it’s much easier to go for a swim in the sea, when I don’t have to worry about being evicted, paying bills, or facing unemployment. 

Swimming in the sea is not free:  I need a swimsuit, money for transport, the ability to swim, and time to go.  It’s easy for me to maintain resilience because I have the tools, at my disposal, to do so.

Many years ago, I was on a training course in Athens, with my colleague and friend, Áine Lynch.  We were doing a workshop on resilience and the trainer asked us to define the word.  I said that I thought resilience was the “ability to deal with shocks,” and I waited for the trainer to tell me how magnificent I was.

Áine nodded, the other participants agreed, and the trainer asked me to explain a little more.

I said that resilience was being able to deal with unexpected shocks, when they came knocking at your door, and having the agency to adapt, and to be flexible.

Áine nodded but also seemed to be frowning and so I wondered if she had a different definition. Later, I asked her if everything was OK.

Áine had misheard me, and thought my definition of resilience was the ability to deal with sharks!  Even though she knew that I didn’t have any qualifications, or experience with marine biology, she thought I was talking about sharks!  She thought I was saying that if sharks came knocking at my door, I would be flexible and adaptable!  All through the session, she thought I was talking about sharks.

Áine and I laughed so hard and uncontrollably, I thought we were going to be asked to leave the group.  We laughed like children, like bold, naughty children, like giddy, silly fools, and it was glorious and sublime.  We laughed in a way that you can only do in sacred places, educational spaces, and areas where you must not laugh. We laughed like babies, and we laughed all day.

Happy new moon you.

May you maintain and increase your resilience, this midsummer, so that you can deal with all the sharks, that come your way.