I am exhausted – not only did today turn in to a working day it was also a garden day. So four hours in the morning, a break for work, and then four hours in the afternoon. Followed by a delivery from Asda. I am now restocked – back to where I was before lockdown started. I think Asda were the strangest of the supermarkets I have used. Last night I had to change my order to some substitutes because things were unavailable – only to find they re-substituted the things I originally asked for because my substitutes were unavailable. My head hurts.
Actually, so does my back, arms, shoulders and legs. I could do with some bad weather to stop me gardening.
Quite an interesting week in my life. After 50 years I have been diagnosed as having an eating disorder. It has only been recognised for about 5 years, and the funding for treatment only started at the beginning of April in this area. One of the ways I describe it is with tomatoes. I love lovely red round tomatoes. But change them to a plum shape or a different colour and I am revolted by them (but I can use them to make soup). I know this isn’t rational. I have an irrational revulsion and that isn’t healthy.
I remember a lot of people complained about Starbucks and their effect on coffee growers and their corporate attitude. Some people pushed for a boycott. I always believed this was the wrong approach. I believe that encouraging good behaviour can be the most effective way to change the world. I would like Starbucks to become a leader in how coffee shops should work. But some people have an irrational revulsion to encouraging Starbucks to do the right thing.
I may not be a parent, but I know there is a principle that you respond to good behaviour to re-enforce it, and you do not respond to the tantrums.
A lot of the things I see posted on Facebook have convinced me that there is a political version of the eating disorder. Some of the things being done by the government at the moment have been proposed by people who now find it impossible to say good things about it.
Take today, for example. The investment in walking, cycling and green transport is a really positive step. Why not take time out to reward this good behaviour? Drop a note to your MP to show your support. And if you find it impossible to reward good behaviour think about why that is.
And if you find it too hard to thank the Tories then thank me and my minions in the New World Order for manipulating the world to make the UK government do this.