The cycle of life

Another bee-yoo-ti-full day no?

We went to Richmond Park for a picnic, kicked a football around, went for a walk through Isabella’s Plantation (which is wonderful) and generally mooched.

Mooching, particularly through a colourful garden makes me smile, mostly because lately, I have been doing things which I remember my parents doing which didn’t seem all that fun as a kid.

I have been admiring different flowers, their colours and smells. I have also taken to driving slowly past stunning looking properties in lovely locations and mentally deciding what it would take to move there.

I am my father’s son!

As we were leaving, I saw various other parents, grandparents, children running around, and I had one of those “million thoughts in a second” moments where I pictured Joseph and Annabel approaching middle age and M and myself getting old.

I then stupidly thought, “Why oh why do I have to get old and croak it?”

I’ve honestly never given it much thought before today. I mean, I have thought about the children’s future in a financial sense, but I wanted to know why our bodies give up after 70, 80 or 90 years?

What a shame.

You work, your children grow up, you retire and have your time to yourself, but your children are busy with their children and so on and so forth.

It sneaks up on you too.

One minute you’re a party animal, the next you’re married and your hair seems to be getting a bit thinner, then you’ve become a parent, you get tired slightly quicker, but it’s all so subtle, bit by bit, day by day; if you didn’t stop to think about it, you might not notice it at all.

Thankfully though, your children flash you a smile and the thought disappears as quickly as it came.

All that really matter is the here and now.

Phew!