It has been five months since I wrote a blog post and I have just found it difficult to sit down and write. The longer I go not doing something, the harder it is to get back into it and the more I will procrastinate and time waste, before I finally give myself a good talking to and get on with it.
The start to the year was a difficult one for my my husband and me, and the last month has seen a change of lifestyle, for us, but of course more so for my husband. At 60 he has begun kidney dialysis because he had a kidney removed 13 years ago and then six months later, he had more than half of his remaining kidney removed. It’s amazing how the human body can adapt and he managed with less than half a kidney, pretty much doing what he used to do before his kidney surgery, sure he had his ups and downs, but at the beginning of the year he started feeling unwell, losing his appetite, getting nauseous and just generally feeling tired. He is starting to feel better now and getting his energy and appetite back.
This planet that we inhabit continues spinning and the craziness in this world just seems to be getting crazier by the day. Sometimes I find myself watching videos that send me into the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories (or “truth seeking” as the folk posting these videos say), and I often wonder what is really going on, not only in South Africa, where I live, but all over the world. I read comments on Facebook, You Tube and Twitter (or X rather) and many comments are often quite crazy and vile, and I wonder even more about this crazy world. As one of the presenters on my favourite podcast reminded us, what happens in the comments section of social media is not reflective of real life. Fair enough, but it is still concerning that there are people with such extreme views and thoughts around the world. Look what happened with Hitler for example, he was part of the fringe initially but once his craziness began to spread it was unstoppable until 1945. Well, we can only hope humanity has learned from that, but I wonder sometimes.
I am not totally bereft of any hope, I’ll always believe in hope. Life is life, with it’s ups and downs and we have to carry on as best we can, despite the craziness going on around us. We have to remember to enjoy life when we can, but not be completely reckless either. We need to think of the future and be prepared, but at the same time understanding that we don’t have complete control over our circumstances. If we overthink the past, without making peace with it, we will never move forward, but the important part about the past is learning from it’s mistakes, which so many people seem to struggle with. We can’t overthink the future either, yes we need to build for a better future, not only for ourselves but for future generations. Life is a balancing act. Learning from the past and not blaming the past for everything in life, enjoying the present whenever possible and building for the future, but not being paranoid about all the crazy possibilities, good or bad, that the future holds. Easier said than done, but we have to try.
Rants and Raves of an old hen. 