Time to celebrate doing nothing, gettingstuffed and festive jingles
ON Sunday I did something I haven’t done in ages: Nothing! After a few festive drinks on Saturday night I woke early and immediately set about planning the day. Surveying the house I realised that it was clean, the tree was up, I had no children to entertain, as their mother was kept busy at that wonderful task. The bike I got for my forteith – which hadn’t been used for six weeks – gave me an idea and as it was a perfect winter’s morning, without a breath of wind or a drop of rain, I dug out my cycling gear and hit the road for an hour. Revived I returned and once again fell back into my default Sunday planning mode. ‘Oh no, back to work tomorrow. Time to be busy doing stuff,’ was the monologue, (I know not very Shakespearian, but hey, it was a lazy Sunday), chattering through my head. I sat back in my man chair, reclined to the max and suddenly it hit me; this is what I’ll do for the day. Sit back, relax, eat rubbish, have coffee, eat more rubbish and maybe read something. I picked up the Sunday paper and read, a pleasure I have deprived myself of for far too long. I went from article to article, and then I did something equally unheard of in recent times, I read a short story, a rather long one, which is a bit of an oxymoron, but as it was good, I got through it to the end. Suddenly the washed out light of the day started turning darker. Did I care? Not one jot!
This pre-Christmas bonhomie – complete with some festive jingles – was great preparation for the fortnight ahead, I reasoned, tucking into another chocolate. For what is Christmas, other than a time to do nothing with people we care about, (or can put up with for a few hours or days!). I could put up with myself for those few hours at any rate. Enjoyed it, moreover. The heady rush of December with all the stuff to do, good deeds to perform, is great, but so is taking time for yourself, in the quiet of your home, to enjoy doing what you enjoy doing.
Over Christmas we should all take time to send cards, visit relatives and friends and reconnect with people w we haven’t seen or heard from in ages, knowing full well that you can pick up on conversations past in an instant.
I, for one, got a bit put out lately when a friend never responded to a suggestion about going for a pint in the run-up to Christmas only to discover that his wife’s father was very ill.
We never know what other people are going through so taking the time at this time of the year to reach out to people, be it through an obvious question or statement, or an invitation in for a cuppa, is of all worth.
For some people this heightened, emo- tionally charged time of year is magical from beginning to end. For others it is a time of grim reflection and mask wearing as the loss of a loved one chimes home.
Ireland has made great strides forward in the past few years, economically, (in Dublin in particular), and socially. One area we need to improve on is how we address people’s mental health problems.
Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community. In Sweden mental health ambulance services (described as a therapy rooms on wheels, staffed with a psychologist), are being rolled out, helping to break the stigma and in the process save some lives. We need this here also and more 24/7 mental health facilities.