Since it’s Monday let’s start the week with some musings from the coast.
I should start with one of those moments that makes you realise that there is always somebody worse off than you. Arriving at the ATM I found one person in front of me using the machine, after some key presses the young lady withdrew her card and cursed the device. As I stepped up I checked the machine was in service and then tried to enter my card to no avail; the machine, it would seem, was still processing the last transaction.
Just before accepting my card the printer whirred and a slip of paper slid from the machine, landing on the key pad. As I collected the receipt to dispose of I noted the line “available to withdraw £4.98”. The machine then accepted my card and proudly declared that I could select any multiple of £5. To somebody this morning started badly all for the sake of tuppence.
Arriving at the station I again had cause to question the necessity of an announcement that “this train terminates here”. My local station is the end of the line and, with one notable exception, all trains terminate here and always have. Since it is blindingly obvious to all that this is a terminus station would it not be better to announce by exception? Rather than “this train terminates here” for every train they could just announce “oh god this train isn’t stopping get out of the way!”. History tells us that announcement is only needed every 30 years or so.
I will stick with the railway for the next story. A couple of elderly women found themselves waiting slightly behind where the doors ended up. Chatting to each other they noted that the train stopped further into the platform than usual (it didn’t) and was that a “woman driver”. As they sat down the female guard left the train to walk to what was now the rear of the train. The two women tutted at the confirmation that it was indeed a woman driver. Far be it for them to let logic interfere with a good story, clearly women drivers drive from the rear!
I was surprised, yet again, by some of the people who shared a facebook post over the weekend. The simple post stated “Dreams don’t work unless you do” the surprise was that it was shared without understanding. This was shared by people who don’t work, by people that are state sponsored and by people that are waiting on the Lotto to achieve their dreams.
So many people have lost the drive to achieve their ambitions and I find that really sad. We now see members of the younger generation as shining examples if they look for work and sympathise with them if they can’t find any. Why do we not encourage people to move outside of their comfort zone, to change roles, move away or take two jobs? There seems to be a growing comfort in complacency and that is a silent curse.
I would encourage all parents, when faced with a child who is struggling to find work, to remind them that if they keep doing the same thing they will keep getting the same result. Don’t sponsor their board, their car and their cell phone buy them a train/ plane ticket and give them a gentle shove into the world. If you do this then one day they will tell their children ‘dreams don’t work unless you do’ and they will speak from experience.