Memoirs Of A Graduate

I’ve been counselling now for 4 weeks. This is the reason I do it. (No, not the wine; the message in the card) 

From the age of about 3, everyone wants to be a superhero. Running around the house with a cape you made from your pillowcase.  ‘Save the world’ – that’s what it’s all about. But is it? Superheroes don’t save the world. They save; Gotham, Metropolis... New York. Okay you can argue if the villain destroys one city what’s to stop him going after the rest of it but not my point.

It’s too difficult to save a whole world; superhero or not. You have to be realistic about your limits. But there’s that quote that goes around; it’s usually plastered over some bullshit picture of people holding hands on a beach at sunset or something equally unimpressive but:

"To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world."

If you can make a difference to one person’s life, then that’s enough – because you might not have saved ‘the world’ .. but you’ve saved someone’s world. That’s the idea I’m going for? 

Maybe – cheesiness aside – I am genuinely enjoying the job. It’s not always straightforward – too many people have the wrong idea of what I’m actually meant to do. They come seeking advice. I’m not an advisor.

Too many people just have a totally wrong schema of life; which is the pinpoint of their problems. I’ve signed a million NDAs so I can’t talk in depth, but a couple came to me and one of them asked; “What do you tell other couples in this situation, what do they do?”

No two people get the same answer, because no two people are the same. Some couples live joined at the hip, others live practically separate lives; but if it works for them, it works for them.  There is no black and white when it comes to people. There aren’t set any answers. One person’s happiness is another person’s sorrow. In difficult situations you can only put forward how you would react to it; but that might not work for someone else; and unless you have actually been through the situation yourself, it’s meaningless anyway because you might think you will react a certain way but when it comes to it we are all slaves to emotion; we have no power over the way we feel about anything. 

Anyway, - on a life note. Healthwise I'm doing better (I had a little heart trouble [again]) but aside from being very tired very easily I'm doing okay. I just need to start paying attention to medical professionals. I don't really like being told to slow down or take it easy ... but, I suppose sometimes you have to.  

Christmas is looming and I feel the least prepared I have in my life, ever. Working two jobs; one of which is working me to the bone - is taking its toll. By the time I get home I just want to sleep. I have no energy for shopping; getting organised. 

That being said Christmas is coming early this year and I am hosting a traditional Christmas dinner in mine this Saturday. I'm cooking a traditional roast dinner for eight people - complete with crackers, paper hats, Christmas jumpers and a mismatch of dining chairs. I'm a little nervous - more so the feeling of being completely unprepared, I have a lot to get ready in time for it - but I'm also really looking forward to it. 

I will update this again sooner I promise: probably once I get Saturday out the way, I will let you all know how it goes.