Under Construction ...

Ten Traits or Idiosyncrasies that Make my Heart Ache for the Frailty of Humanity.

1. I can't say too much due to the privacy issues of where I work, but when a young person runs away from home because they are depressed due to a horribly debilitating disease—a disease that is undiscriminating, incurable and sometimes barely even manageable, a disease that affects a part of the body that is wrongly associated with shame and embarrassment and then on top contracted when body issues are the strongest in a life (puberty)—that makes you sad.
2. There is something about seeing an older woman, especially on a tram stop or a bus stop, that makes me sad. I think it's because I get this silly idea in my head that they are in limbo, that they have lived a life that they possibly didn't want to live. While it is not always immediately apparent that feminism has been successful, we do definitely have more choices than many of the women who are now in their sixties and seventies had. The idea that you give up all your dreams and aspirations to raise a family and look after a man does not seem so prevalent (for us priveleged, Western societies, with millions and millions of exceptions probably—don't get me wrong, I am not illusioned that it is easy for women now, its just different). When I see this 'waiting', it makes me sad, that is all I am saying.
3. The capacity for love makes me sad. It would be easier if love was an on/off mechanism, rather than a quantitative thing. It means that people don't love, or show their love, in equal measure. I love those who are brave enough to love with all their hearts, regardless. That is something to which I aspire.
4. Fathers who try very hard to participate in the lives of their teenage daughters, but who can never be included and are in fact outside of the clique. They know they are, they still keep trying and sometimes you can see the rejection in their eyes. Happened tonight at the Bradford Arms Hotel, Llanymynech. Breaks my heart.
5. This is not technically the frailty of humanity, but in a way is related. The other day I watched a man taking his dog for a walk. The dog periodically looked up at his owner with a look of adoration and complete trust. Lolli does the same. Imagine what the world would be like if people were the way their dogs believed them to be. It would be amazing.