What a decade

We're nearly half way through this year already and I find it a little worrying that each year seems to pass more quickly than the last; one of the effects of getting older, I suppose. Whereas at one time, my years were divided into three parts, following the pattern of the academic year, now I tend to look only a week or two ahead as I book in my clients for their next appointments.
But yesterday, I fell to thinking about the events in my life over the last ten years and I was quite surprised at all that has happened. Since New Year 2000 was rung in:

• I have become a grandmother three times over, although I only have access to one of my grandchildren for reasons that I still don't understand.
• My mother died, after a long time in poor health but I am glad that, as a family, we were able to keep her at home until the end.
• My two daughters graduated and began their careers, one as a doctor and one as a teacher.
• My marriage ended and I set up home on my own, which was strange after so many years.
• I continued to become more disillusioned with the world of teaching, stepping down from my position as deputy head of a primary school and eventually leaving full time teaching for a few years of supply teaching.
• I retired from teaching, having stuck it out until a few months before my official retirement age.
• I became interested in counselling and embarked on four years of training before qualifying as an integrative humanistic counsellor.
• I met Keith and moved to North Wales, where we set up home together. That was the high point.
• I lost my elder son when he took his life last year - most definitely the lowest point.

I always see myself as living a quiet, uneventful life, but looking at the list above, I seem to have done a lot of living over the last ten years, some good, some not so good and some devastating but life goes on.
It's probably just as well that we can't see into the future though!

Football fever

I don't always follow the news and current affairs that closely, but I have the feeling that, somewhere, some time recently, I have heard mention of the World Cup. It only seems like five minutes since the last one, but, hey, life's too short to quibble. Anyway, it occurred to me that there are going to be more than a few wives, partners and girlfriends out there who will spend the next few weeks tiptoeing around, providing constant supplies of food and beverages and being deprived of any choice whatsoever on daily TV viewing. In addition, they will be expected to rally round, offering consolation and copious boxes of tissues when the results are bad and, most importantly, refrain from saying, "Well, it's only a bunch of idiots kicking a bladder of wind around a field, darling!"
Now all this emotional support is bound to take its toll, so I thought it would be a good business opportunity for me to offer counselling to all football widows for the duration. No, really, it's the least I can do!
However, offering bereavement counselling for the fans in the unthinkable event that England will lose ...
No, sorry, that's a step too far.
Well, I'd have to care, you see!