The Wall of Fame
We have a few friends and family who have died. Yes, everyone has. Our special ones don't have their final resting places near us so we can go and spend time there though. Some don't have any physical monument to their existence. Or they are in another country. So we made our own.
It's the Chopping Board Wall of Fame!
Seriously. Each one has a quote on a Chopping Board hung on the wall near our patio in the garden. We can raise a glass to them and sit and look at their board just as we would sit and perhaps look at their headstone.
So what do we have?
One of our best friends boards says "Is this how you want to live your life?" It was directed at a young man who hadn't washed his bathroom floor! Hardly poignant or pivotal. Or was it? That dirty floor was a sign of accepting being the victim of something grotty. Wading through dead skin cells, fur, hair and unspeakables to do the daily ablutions was not how anyone would actually choose to live. But that's the situation they found themselves in. The question pulled up that young man to not accept bad situations he had control over. He became an agent for change, he propelled forward in life and never again accepted living in a bad situation with a bad attitude. He changed what he could to make life better. Lesson 1. Change is good.
Another friends' says "Upwards & Onwards". While I heard him say this countless times, the one that still stands out was 6 hours after he had a very serious operation. A lifechanger. He said it to a concerned relative. He was encouraging the other person to move upwards and onwards, he was not defeated by the most severe of situations in his life. To the outside world, there was a single, unwell man after a life changing operation happily encouraging someone else to move "Upwards & Onwards". He accepted his lot in life, was prepared to do whatever it took to move in those wonderful directions. Lesson 2. Change is good.
An elderly gentleman's board says "Just the other day". He always said this. Time appeared to be an irrelevant concept to this man. The term could literally mean anywhere between 1930's Depression era, to World War 2 era, to 1960's swinging & twisting era to earlier that day! Time was a fluid concept, something that didn't really affect what he did, said or thought. Anything that happened to him in life was to him just the other day. It took away the pain of time distance of when he saw his family in another country. It reduced the time of when he last saw a loved one. It made time changes more palatable. Lesson 3. Change is good.
Then there's my own granddad's board "Play the Game Kid". His mantra for life. Obviously not talking about any particular sporting code or card game here. This was his way of saying follow the rules! It doesn't matter what situation you're in, it's basically a game. To and Fro across the tennis net, around the table for cards, up and down the football pitch. All games. All have rules and those rules are modified depending on who is playing and what is happening around. There is no rule football can't be played without lights. No rule that cricket can't be played indoors. No hard and fast rule you can't break the rules to let a 3 year old win UNO. The rules are changed as you play the game. Lesson 4. Change is good.
And last but never least my Dad's board in the centre. "Birts of a Fedder, dey flock mit demselfs". I wrote it in his accent. Dad's translations were a bit dodgy from time to time, and for some reason birds never flocked together! Always "mit demselfs". Our current time of isolation means that our birts have to flock mit demselfs. The technological distance many of us have had, along with physical distances from work and lifestyle are suddenly falling apart. We are now more than ever physically together, even if we don't want to be. We are technologically together as we use these tools to check in on one another. Our work and lifestyle has all changed dramatically and will be further changed in the coming weeks and months as we grapple with this bizarre situation that is affecting every single person on the planet. Flocking mit ourselves, flocking together, how often have we wished we could spend more time with our loved ones? Well, it's here now whether we were expecting it or not. Lesson 5. Change is good.
Who would you put on your Wall of Fame? We have these 5 amazing men gracing our wall. We chose a simple phrase that brings them front of mind. We chose utilitarian, long lasting material for their plaques. We left space for more to join them. That will be the next stage sadly. On the other hand, with more time to do these things, my artwork will improve.
Change is good.
It's the Chopping Board Wall of Fame!
Seriously. Each one has a quote on a Chopping Board hung on the wall near our patio in the garden. We can raise a glass to them and sit and look at their board just as we would sit and perhaps look at their headstone.
So what do we have?
One of our best friends boards says "Is this how you want to live your life?" It was directed at a young man who hadn't washed his bathroom floor! Hardly poignant or pivotal. Or was it? That dirty floor was a sign of accepting being the victim of something grotty. Wading through dead skin cells, fur, hair and unspeakables to do the daily ablutions was not how anyone would actually choose to live. But that's the situation they found themselves in. The question pulled up that young man to not accept bad situations he had control over. He became an agent for change, he propelled forward in life and never again accepted living in a bad situation with a bad attitude. He changed what he could to make life better. Lesson 1. Change is good.
Another friends' says "Upwards & Onwards". While I heard him say this countless times, the one that still stands out was 6 hours after he had a very serious operation. A lifechanger. He said it to a concerned relative. He was encouraging the other person to move upwards and onwards, he was not defeated by the most severe of situations in his life. To the outside world, there was a single, unwell man after a life changing operation happily encouraging someone else to move "Upwards & Onwards". He accepted his lot in life, was prepared to do whatever it took to move in those wonderful directions. Lesson 2. Change is good.
An elderly gentleman's board says "Just the other day". He always said this. Time appeared to be an irrelevant concept to this man. The term could literally mean anywhere between 1930's Depression era, to World War 2 era, to 1960's swinging & twisting era to earlier that day! Time was a fluid concept, something that didn't really affect what he did, said or thought. Anything that happened to him in life was to him just the other day. It took away the pain of time distance of when he saw his family in another country. It reduced the time of when he last saw a loved one. It made time changes more palatable. Lesson 3. Change is good.
Then there's my own granddad's board "Play the Game Kid". His mantra for life. Obviously not talking about any particular sporting code or card game here. This was his way of saying follow the rules! It doesn't matter what situation you're in, it's basically a game. To and Fro across the tennis net, around the table for cards, up and down the football pitch. All games. All have rules and those rules are modified depending on who is playing and what is happening around. There is no rule football can't be played without lights. No rule that cricket can't be played indoors. No hard and fast rule you can't break the rules to let a 3 year old win UNO. The rules are changed as you play the game. Lesson 4. Change is good.
And last but never least my Dad's board in the centre. "Birts of a Fedder, dey flock mit demselfs". I wrote it in his accent. Dad's translations were a bit dodgy from time to time, and for some reason birds never flocked together! Always "mit demselfs". Our current time of isolation means that our birts have to flock mit demselfs. The technological distance many of us have had, along with physical distances from work and lifestyle are suddenly falling apart. We are now more than ever physically together, even if we don't want to be. We are technologically together as we use these tools to check in on one another. Our work and lifestyle has all changed dramatically and will be further changed in the coming weeks and months as we grapple with this bizarre situation that is affecting every single person on the planet. Flocking mit ourselves, flocking together, how often have we wished we could spend more time with our loved ones? Well, it's here now whether we were expecting it or not. Lesson 5. Change is good.
Who would you put on your Wall of Fame? We have these 5 amazing men gracing our wall. We chose a simple phrase that brings them front of mind. We chose utilitarian, long lasting material for their plaques. We left space for more to join them. That will be the next stage sadly. On the other hand, with more time to do these things, my artwork will improve.
Change is good.
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