Another Sunday and once again the house is quiet and I can settle down and write down a few thoughts.
If you were to look outside you would think it is a lovely day with the sun shining and only a few puffs of cloud dotting the sky but I feel the look of the day may hide the reality. There is a strong wind blowing and I get the feeling that it may have a nasty nip in it and although we haven’t had the atrocious weather that other parts of south-eastern Australia have endured over the last few days, it’s not as nice here as it could be.
I’m bunkered inside, quite cosy although when I got up this morning, fairly late, I walked past Monique’s room to find her sitting on her bed with the window wide open seemingly oblivious to the penetrating breeze alighting through her bedroom aperture. I asked her if she was cold and she assured me she wasn’t so I guess I couldn’t make any more of it than that.
One thing I have found about living with teenagers is that they never think that their actions may interfere with anyone else’s comfort. For example, the open window is fine for anyone feeling too warm but the thought of shutting the door lest others feel uncomfortable with the quickly descending temperature in the house never crossed the mind of the incumbent of the bedroom. Most teenagers I know are quite pleasant people but as long as they are okay and they are getting what they want then nothing else seems to matter to them. It’s not selfishness for the most part, just an absentmindedness that seems to be bred into kids nowadays. Unless the need to think of others before themselves is pointed out well in advance it never seems to cross their minds. “I’m okay Jack”, seems to be the order of the day and everyone else can fend for themselves.
Now my mind wanders back to my own teenage years and I may be more sanguine in my thoughts than is justifiable when it comes to those distant days in the past but I always knew my parents were in charge and their comfort was paramount and I would nearly always ask before doing something which may effect the rest of the household. I’m sure there were times when I overstepped the mark in such matters but I always knew who was the boss in my parents house. It doesn’t always seem to be the case with kids now.
That being said, despite much negativity in the press about today’s youth, I think the kids of today are for the most part doing okay. Society doesn’t always do it right and some kids are not being brought up to be responsible members of our community but I have seen enough to be convinced that we will survive and the next generation will be a match for those of us unlucky enough to be reaching for middle age at the moment.
But they do drive you crazy sometimes!
Now, as the Olympics draw to a close I am left wondering what I am going to watch when I get home from work during the week. It looks like re-runs of MASH and dime a dozen cop shows will be back on the agenda as I climb into bed and look to wind down after a tiring day on “Desolation Island”.
Speaking of work, it was one of those weeks where the baselessness of it all became apparent and the shallowness of many of those I work with came into a sharper focus and bred some agitation in a few of us leading to some unpleasantness on several fronts. Just one of those weeks and the countdown to my long service leave has become a journey through a valley of banality and every second of every day is being ticked off like a shipping clerk checking outgoing freight.
Only two more weeks in the “happiness factory” and there will be some relief and I should be able to dig deep and make it through without too many troubles. There is no other choice.
So, to all of you reading this blog I wish you well for the rest of the weekend and hope you can find some enjoyment before the harsh realities of Monday morning again creep in and disrupt your contentment. Have a nice day.
If you were to look outside you would think it is a lovely day with the sun shining and only a few puffs of cloud dotting the sky but I feel the look of the day may hide the reality. There is a strong wind blowing and I get the feeling that it may have a nasty nip in it and although we haven’t had the atrocious weather that other parts of south-eastern Australia have endured over the last few days, it’s not as nice here as it could be.
I’m bunkered inside, quite cosy although when I got up this morning, fairly late, I walked past Monique’s room to find her sitting on her bed with the window wide open seemingly oblivious to the penetrating breeze alighting through her bedroom aperture. I asked her if she was cold and she assured me she wasn’t so I guess I couldn’t make any more of it than that.
One thing I have found about living with teenagers is that they never think that their actions may interfere with anyone else’s comfort. For example, the open window is fine for anyone feeling too warm but the thought of shutting the door lest others feel uncomfortable with the quickly descending temperature in the house never crossed the mind of the incumbent of the bedroom. Most teenagers I know are quite pleasant people but as long as they are okay and they are getting what they want then nothing else seems to matter to them. It’s not selfishness for the most part, just an absentmindedness that seems to be bred into kids nowadays. Unless the need to think of others before themselves is pointed out well in advance it never seems to cross their minds. “I’m okay Jack”, seems to be the order of the day and everyone else can fend for themselves.
Now my mind wanders back to my own teenage years and I may be more sanguine in my thoughts than is justifiable when it comes to those distant days in the past but I always knew my parents were in charge and their comfort was paramount and I would nearly always ask before doing something which may effect the rest of the household. I’m sure there were times when I overstepped the mark in such matters but I always knew who was the boss in my parents house. It doesn’t always seem to be the case with kids now.
That being said, despite much negativity in the press about today’s youth, I think the kids of today are for the most part doing okay. Society doesn’t always do it right and some kids are not being brought up to be responsible members of our community but I have seen enough to be convinced that we will survive and the next generation will be a match for those of us unlucky enough to be reaching for middle age at the moment.
But they do drive you crazy sometimes!
Now, as the Olympics draw to a close I am left wondering what I am going to watch when I get home from work during the week. It looks like re-runs of MASH and dime a dozen cop shows will be back on the agenda as I climb into bed and look to wind down after a tiring day on “Desolation Island”.
Speaking of work, it was one of those weeks where the baselessness of it all became apparent and the shallowness of many of those I work with came into a sharper focus and bred some agitation in a few of us leading to some unpleasantness on several fronts. Just one of those weeks and the countdown to my long service leave has become a journey through a valley of banality and every second of every day is being ticked off like a shipping clerk checking outgoing freight.
Only two more weeks in the “happiness factory” and there will be some relief and I should be able to dig deep and make it through without too many troubles. There is no other choice.
So, to all of you reading this blog I wish you well for the rest of the weekend and hope you can find some enjoyment before the harsh realities of Monday morning again creep in and disrupt your contentment. Have a nice day.
Strange Notations From a Laborious Life 