I'll Tell You Three Things

 She wasn't supposed to go to the party. She was supposed to be on bed rest for at least six months. However, the party was being thrown by her best friend and she was aware of how many of the invited guests would not be there. She insisted on being there for her friend. 

There were plenty of seats, including a gigantic sectional sofa. She sat with other guests but didn't participate in the chatter or the games. Every once in a while she would say something like "really?" or "that sounds nice", but she was quiet and a bit afraid she seemed like a snob. 

Photo by Adam Jang on Unsplash

There was a short break in the middle so a few could go outside and smoke. That left a few of us sitting inside. Well, except for me. Somehow I found myself standing in front of three grown women, giving a lecture on how society "norms" should accommodate people who were convalescing. She should have felt comfortable asking for the corner and one side of the sofa to lay back and participate from a comfortable spot. A person in her position should not feel she has to make a choice between fun socialization or comfort when there is a way for her to have both. 

I'm Not A Speaker...

Then I realized all three strangers were looking at me. Not only were they looking at me, they were LISTENING. AND I was actually COMFORTABLE with it.  As far as impromptu speeches go, it wasn't all that enlightening, but I hope what I had to say influences and spreads to many more. 

Let's make it normal to include everyone without making them feel as though they are a special case. 

Let's keep it real. 

Side note: The party was a Pure Romance party. If you are a woman who has never attended one, let me tell you it is not what you might imagine it would be. Go to one. You'll love it. 

We're All In The Same Boat - A Continuing Review

Let’s Discuss Some Classics! 

Three Men In A Boat can be read in a Kindle compilation of classic books everyone should take the time to read. I'm not making money on it. The book is free and the link can be found at the bottom of this little piece. :)

This is a humorously philosophical book that begins with the narrator discussing how he knows he doesn’t have long to live because of the number of illnesses with which he suffers. He knows he has them because every circular containing ads for medicines lists the same symptoms from which he suffers and he has looked up symptoms in his book on diseases. Among his afflictions are typhoid fever, gout, liver problems, and zymosis. However, he does not have Handmaid’s Knee and this actually puts him off a bit. He goes so far as to check his pulse and heartbeat. At first, he cannot detect either of them - which is very troubling. 

Convinced he will be a prize to medical science, he visits his doctor, describes all his symptoms and endures the tests to confirm his self-diagnoses. The doctor writes out a prescription and hands it to him:

1 lb of beefsteak

1 pt of bitter bear every six hours

1 ten-mile walk every morning

1 bed at 11 sharp every night

And don’t stuff up your head with things you don’t understand. 

The prescription makes him feel better and after several weeks, he is pleased to still be alive. 

Now, he is in a boat with two other men who have their own symptoms of various diseases, although he is sure that one man doesn’t have the problems. He just needs a good psychiatrist. 

 

I have not finished the book yet, but I will have it read by tomorrow. Still, I think I can tell you where the phrase “All in the same boat” came from and I am astounded at how little people have changed throughout history.  Back then, it was advertisements and books that scared readers. Now, it is advertisements and Google. ;-)

So far the book is a good one. Within just a few pages, I have smiled, laughed, and spent time in consideration of the human condition. 

Three Men In A Boat was written by Jerome K. Jerome and was published in 1887. 

Find it on Amazon:

Note: The Kindle book is free and I do not make money from zero :)

This Is Not What I Wanted And I Cannot Read Chinese

 What I ordered:

What I received: