Well hello 2018, this is my first post of the year so if you are new to this blog "Nellie Knows" is my weekly column in The Wokingham Paper, which is published on a Thursday and available from lots and lots of shops in Wokingham Borough.
One of these days I will hand deliver a copy to my international readers, with love and jet lag!
The decorations are away, the cards have been recycled, thank you letters have been written, subtle changes made and, as if by magic, a new year is on us. I'm not one for making resolutions or starting something on 1 January.
As I said on BBC Radio Berkshire last month I don't do Dry January or Veganuary as I prefer to be spontaneous and impulsive but I won't diss anyone for their choices. So - this no resolution thing is going well. Ideally my resolution would be to be taller and then I would not have to lose my winter covering or spring rolls but that's just not possible so I won't give it any thought. Instead I will conserve my energy for what makes me happy and at the heart of that is people.
There's only so many hours in the day though and whilst Facebook is a great tool for keeping in touch it doesn't replace the personal touch, so I've taken a step back, removed myself from loads of groups, unfollowed loads of pages I've liked ages ago that are no longer relevant or in some cases operational and lost the connection with others. At times things can be read the wrong way even if it's not written that way and the passive aggressive approach that winds people up which, if I am honest, is one thing that irritates me. A few episodes/chapters/dramas about friendships, bullying, nastiness and jealousy were highlighted recently and when I saw this quote it really struck a chord.
I used to work with someone who was a really kindly and gentle man, each morning he would bound in the office waving a cheery hello around before putting the kettle on and putting his lunch in the fridge. One day we were chatting about kindness and he said that he likes kindness, manners and forgiveness above anything else. He said that he finds something positive in everyone and if people have dislike for others then they probably dislike that very thing about themselves and the reaction to that is negative behaviour. I've not seen him for over 25 years but it's funny the things one remembers about people. A happy, loving and giving person shines from the inside and radiates in every thought and word and deed.
This post is dedicated to Mungo Leir - one of life's characters.
Our beautiful, genuine, bonkers, generous, much loved and much missed friend.
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