Day 21 - Something I could never tire of.

Hmm. Not as easy as it sounds, this one.
Once all the obvious things - chocolate, cake, sleep, air, etc - are discounted, it's kind of hard to think of something which, seriously, I can't imagine getting sick of, or at least mildly irritated by.

I was going to say my kitteh cats... who I love love love...

but after the night of hell that sleepless purry ones gave me last night, (I actually put them both outside at 3am. Then felt guilty so had to go and find them ... I'm off kitteh-co-sleeping at the moment!) it dawned on me that they make me tired, even if I could never really tire of them.

Taking photos is definitely on the list - it's a relatively recent addition to my life (I hope that if Phil is watching from somewhere, he's laughing!) I used to be the one who tutted impatiently whilst waiting for someone to take his photos so we could move on... and I've actually said: 'Why don't you go and DO stuff, rather than stand on the edge spectating and taking pictures' more than once in my time ... and I hate having my photo taken still. However, somewhere along the line, the bug for photos bit me (the all-conquering rise of digital photography was involved...) I wish I had more pics of Phil .. and yes, he did tell me so, although not quite in that context. Now I rarely go anywhere without my camera... and hope to improve my skills in the near future. However - it's not top of the pile owing to all the times I've felt hassled beyond belief to get a set of pictures edited and online - not usually for parkrun, but for school events, family events, etc - and the assumption that I'll take photos and process pics quickly for someone else's use occasionally makes me want to leave the camera at home.

Relatively new friends, at least one of whom shares & exceeds my obsessive love of photography.
Dani may not like this photo, but Steve used the one I had in mind originally - the love in the Stockwell family is so strong it's visible - and it brightens up the world on a Saturday morning!

Next on the list is friends. (Some of whom I may happen to be related to!) I can honestly say that without my friends - both old and new - my life would not be up to much. When things have been bad, when things have been good, when I've been busy beyond belief, or locked in a cycle of inactivity (it happens!) someone(s) has always been there. When things have been  ... bad, and being on my own has been the only way through, they've been patient and waited for me to resurface. The friends of long standing - know who they are. The newer (mainly parkrun based) friends may not entirely realize how much they are appreciated - so Dani, Steve, (& of course, young Lime!) it feels like a lot more than 21 weeks, in the best possible way. New friends and old friends, those I'm still getting to know - the conversation, the laughter, the tears, the support, the supporting - what goes around comes around, and this particular cycle is one I will never tire of!

A photo which shows both laughter (look closely in the top left hand corner)
and friends - sharing the love at a post parkrun photo display. 

Laughter...

well, it made Lime laugh!

Another thing which never grows old. Laughter makes everything better (unless it's mocking, I suppose - although, to be fair, even when someone is laughing at me, I still enjoy the sound of laughter - weird? probably!) many a gloomy day has been saved from descent into despair by something ridiculous (my sense of humour isn't ...usual!) and I've spent many a hours helpless with laughter - in the company of friends. It's good for the soul!

Mama & Baba

and Love.

Love may seem a strange thing for me to say - but there are many types of love, and I firmly believe that it's what makes the world go round - life is all about love... on so many levels.






and finally... (at long long last!!) learning. 
(yeh yeh, spot the teacher...) Not necessarily of the academic sort - although an MA or a photography 'A' Level are definitely possibilities for the next year or so. For me, learning is all about new skills, new ideas, developing and growing as a person. It's about not just brushing off weaknesses by saying 'that's who I am. that's how I am' but trying to understand what creates them, and to change constantly for the better. It's about not being fixed into one set of ideas and ideals, but being willing to listen and learn, and accept that there are other philosophies, being willing to try different ways. It's kind of about never saying never. It's about reading, researching, investigating, listening, responding, and first and foremost about growing. (I have a very learned stomach!) It's also - and this is the job - about helping others to explore their own pathways, sometimes giving them the tools to find out for themselves, sometimes pointing the way, sometimes encouraging, sometimes rescuing, sometimes simply standing back and giving them space. Always, about supporting, and listening.
For me, without the desire to seek, discover, think, understand and explore life, learning all the way (I hope) life really would be over - may I never tire of wanting to learn.

Ooer. That all got a bit heavy!!

Some learning - deep thought/sharing knowledge/learning from those who know more!!!
and proof that I'm trying to learn to look at photos of myself without dying.