The Garden Fence - help and support in tough times

silver-oldie

silvasava wrote: »

Reading through this morning - huge hugs to all of you struggling through difficult times. Does anyone really have an easy life? I think one way or another we've all got through hard times. I'm one who believes the only way is through. I do subscribe to the thought that there's always someone worse off than you - although it doesn't seem like it at the time.

ETA: my signature says it all for me xxxx

Life isn't fair, but two things I have been told seem to stick with me.

Firstly be kind to yourself.

Second pick your battles.

Sometimes it's just not worth the energy wasted on things or people that don't really matter.

monnagran

Ivyleaf. Your post reminds me of the old story about the traveller who was resting by the side of the road leading into the town.
He hailed a man coming away from the town and asked what sort of place it was.
"It's a terrible place," was the reply. "The people are unfriendly. Lawlessness goes unchecked. The surroundings are dirty and neglected. Keep away. You won't like it."

While the man thought about this another man came along and the traveller asked the same question.

"It's a wonderful place," he said. "Very friendly. The people are so kind and helpful and there is a great sense of community. They look after their surroundings and its a good safe place to bring up the children. You'll love it there."

It seems that it was the same place, just different perspectives.

Another old story. Oh you poor things, I have a story for every occasion and am not averse to telling them.

A preacher was visiting a church in a remote village to take a service. As he arrived a bit early he loitered in the vestibule. Spotting a sort of collection box he supposed it to be for charitable contributions and popped half a crown into it. You can tell how old this story is.
After the service one of the church elders thanked him for the service saying, "We are a very poor church but we do like to contribute to the travelling expenses of our visiting preachers. We have a box in the church for contributions and you are very lucky today because someone has generously given half a crown."
With that he handed the bemused preacher his half crown back.

When he relayed this story to his family, his son said, "Well, Dad. You should have put more in, you'd have got more out."

Here endeth the lesson.

I love these moral tales. Gives me a warm, fuzzy glow.

mardatha

Silver-oldie very good advice yes!
i have often thought of taking off and disappearing over the horizon. Not because I'm burdened by problems, but because I get periods of wanderlust, itchy feet. I look at planes going over and wonder where've they been? where're they going? what're they doing?? And ships vanishing over the horizon can make me physically ache with a need to be on them. I was born that way and can't change it.
But I can also live without "stuff"- I don't like collecting stuff or hanging onto stuff. I never get emotionally attached to belongings or photoes or ornaments etc. Buttt I have never said I was normal though... :D

silvasava

You sound perfectly OK to me Mardatha - but there again...................;)

ivyleaf

monnagran I had heard your first story before, and it's so true! I liked the other one too:D

I remember when I was a child having a couple of books called something like "Uncle Mac's Bedtime Stories" - short stories with a moral, in which children who did kind deeds had good things happen to them, and vice versa. I remember crying over one about a boy who was delighted to be given a dog, but didn't bother to look after it properly, so it was taken away from him (upon which of course he realised the error of his ways, but too late) and given to someone who took good care of it.

Any other of you older ladies remember those? I must have been a horribly pious child

monnagran

Ivyleaf. I am sure that is the book I had too. If not there was a very similar one. I don't actually remember any of the stories but yes, it was very moral and virtue was always rewarded whereas wrong doing had very sad results.

Those were the days! When morals were taught in most homes and schools.

Floss

We had a copy of Hilaire Belloc's Cautionary Tales in our house (both parents were librarians) which is really funny: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27424?msg=welcome_stranger

monnagran

lOh yes Floss. I absolutely loved "Matilda told such dreadful lies, it made one gasp and stretch one's eyes." and the one about the boy who ate little bits of string.
l
Who remembers Strewelpeter?

karcher

This one is ingrained in my memory (not in a good way):

There was a little girl
BY HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW:

There was a little girl,
Who had a little curl,
Right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good,
She was very good indeed,
But when she was bad she was horrid.

---

Personally I always preferred WINNIE-THE-POOH:

On trusting your ability to deal with anything:

Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.


XX

Hard_Up_Hester

Four phone calls from my tenant yesterday by 8am, to be fair not her fault and she wasn't complaining.
She received a text from ao at 6:55 to say the washing machine would be arriving between 7 & 11, it arrived on the dot of 7!
The delivery drivers couldn't take the old machine away as it was 'sadwid' tenant was understandable confused so phoned me for advice.
Turns out the machine was hard wired, I knew that and had ticked the appropriate boxes but there had been a mix up somewhere.
Eventually it was all sorted, tenant was given a number to ring to get a refund, she passed the information on to me & I've arranged for someone else to dispose of the old machine.

Then around 7 yesterday evening there was a frantic knocking on the side of the boat, DD1 in great distress, her 14 year old staffy was unwell, she'd taken him to the local vet in Newbury who'd suggested she take him to one in Reading. She was so upset she couldn't remember how to get there, could she borrow my satnav. Unfortunately no, it's integral to my car, so I drove my car and she followed in hers.
After a brief discussion he was PTS with DD talking to him and cuddling him.
She took him home to bury him in the garden and will plant a tree over him soon.