This picture of Gump’s tomatoes is not relevant to the blog post at all – I just thought you might like the picture…..he has at least 25 plants this year…..I HATE tomatoes…I wish he could grow chocolate instead.

I am late with the blog as I haven’t felt particularly inspired to write anything that might be considered ‘amusing’.

It might have something to do with all the acts of terrorism around the world, the senseless murder of citizens on our on shores in Florida and Texas, the daily local news which usually has at least one person being murdered or some old lady getting scammed.

Or maybe it is the appalling political climate….seldom do we hear anything actually good about current leaders or those running in a race to be elected. It seems that people with a fairly clean past never become involved in politics….voting today is like having to pick a husband from trolls that live under bridges, serial killers or pedophiles. In a world of billions of people, why do we only get to choose from the bottom of the pile?

But that’s ok; we can ignore all the bad news and instead bury ourselves with hot topics in the media. We can talk about Adam Levine’s new tattoo, Brittany’s new album, if Justin Bieber is dating anyone human, whether or not Jennifer Anniston is pregnant, who Taylor Swift’s new boyfriend is and what she wore on their date. Ok well maybe you are not interested in that. You can watch tv…..there’s the Bachelor, the Bachelorette, Keeping up with the fat arse/lips/fake Kardashians, Survivor, some kind of race, or tune into the Real Housewives of God knows where. Is there a Real Housewives of anywhere where there are no plastic surgeons? Or maybe a place where people have no jobs?

Oh well, I’ll check Facebook instead. There I can at least say hi to my friends or see where they are on vacation. I can also see whenever they brush their teeth, go to the bathroom, eat anything and learn who they are voting for (See paragraph 2) and of course also be told why I am an idiot because I do not have the same political/religious beliefs as them. Personally, they are the idiots for being my friend and yet having no clue who I really am…..

All so depressing isn’t it? No wonder we enjoy the videos of giggling babies, cute puppies, soldiers coming home and surprising their families. I’d rather watch the sunset than Entertainment Tonight. I’d rather watch PBS than any reality show.

I get that as humans we are fascinated with other humans’ behavior. And obviously, who am I to preach to anyone when I have watched my share of crappy shows in the past and read stupid magazines? I guess it is just the balance of things that is so disturbing. We are losing our dignity somehow and losing the level of sophistication that as a race we worked so hard to earn.

But hey, what do I know? I am using this blog to deliver my opinions which probably are not the same as yours. Am I just a grumpy old lady now? Is it all about the generation gap? I’m not sure. I just hope that somehow through all this mess, we do find a solid footing again, and reach our hands down towards those who are having trouble holding on. For we are all basically good and we do care about others don’t we?

So take a break from the news, sit and stare at a tree, or a bee collecting pollen. Look at the length of a baby’s eyelashes. Smell something delicious cooking in your house. Kiss your partner, even if you are mad at them. Talk to your kids and find out what they think about something off the wall. Take the dog for a walk even if your feet hurt. Tease the cat, and give something you don’t need to someone who needs it badly. Call a family member instead of texting them, buy a bunch of flowers and a colouring book. Go and visit an elderly relative now instead of just going to their funeral. Show people that you care and don’t just say it.

There – sermon over – if you read all of this, thank you. I really appreciate all of you who take the time to read the things I write, and I also can’t tell you how much it has meant to me when I’ve received the wonderful feedback some of you have sent. If I ever become an established writer, I shall never forget all of you who believed in me.

Cheers

Jude