He had nice shoes. They say you can tell a lot about a man from the shoes on his feet and these shoes were Geox, made in Italy of course, and the man wearing these leather loafers absolutely believed in the aforementioned motto. He was middle aged and if you were to not look too closely, gave off the appearance of being somewhat physically fit. His hair was mostly grey and thinning considerably on the top and you could see he kept it cropped tight and neat. The glasses were designer, flat cap wool and the sweater hand made in Ireland. In his left hand a 1 litre bottle of Evian water and in his right a MacBook Air. Maybe “smug” is too harsh a word but there was definitely an air of confidence and comfort to him as he strolled across the airport terminal.
I think it patently obvious that in this particular instance we were dealing with a first class dickhead; a professor of some sort or bookworm in dire need of sunlight. Except that in this case the preening, elderly gentleman proudly displaying his proverbial feathers of superiority for all to see was in fact ME and that was absolutely not how I intended to be looked at. It is however how a 30 year old Grumpymarty would have viewed me. I do not view myself as elderly by the way and I tan quite nicely, thank you very much. It is a fact though that I have significantly changed since Year 30 and I am okay with that as well; 30 year old Grumpymarty was a bit uncouth and in need of some polish – fuck him!
That’s life though, isn’t it? We evolve as we get older and I believe many of us begin to view the world just a bit differently, our palette of colours more nuanced. You would think that the added complexity would mean increased difficulties while navigating life’s highways but it is in fact quite the opposite. One is much more able to see through the bullshit and ascertain what is important and what isn’t. So, speeding down an interstate, smashing your truck and getting a D.U.I. wasn’t such a big deal, was it? Not that I did that, well maybe…. I don’t remember. What the fuck was I talking about?
Anyway, if you are reading this it would appear as though you have survived Covid-19. Hey, congratulations because you have lived through a pandemic of historic proportions. It’s a big deal! Some of you reading this may have actually had Covid and I don’t think there is one person among us who has not been touched by the virus in some way or another. It’s been intense and it has changed our lives in so many ways and while we are not completely free of restrictions yet, we are getting damn close. Does it make you feel good to think about that? Of course it does and you know what? For the most part everyone has handled these curveballs that life has thrown at us with a great deal of patience and dare I say it – distinction! Bravo to all!!!
So where do we go from here? Be “marvelous” I say. Why not? Get back out there, see new things, do something different. It will be great! I’m in. We’ll do this! Tomorrow, well maybe not tomorrow, I have to work. Next week? Hopefully it’s not too hot and I do have to get in a couple of rounds of golf so yeah, we’ll chat. I am kinda busy here. Making a difference sounds like hard work; giver a whirl and let me know how it goes for you. Good luck!
Take care