Jan Wayned Fields' photo which Rochelle posted on her blog https://rochellewisoff.com/2020/05/13/15-may-2020/hats/ for Friday Fictioneers this week didn't excite my fiction-writing head at all, possibly because it's already full of the book I am in the throes of editing.
So instead you've got this rant, which I know resonates with many of my friends in a similar situation. If you're young and free, enjoy it! .............................................................
I have worn many different hats in my lifetime.
Daughter, then student, followed by years as a bank
clerk, in the days when we counted banknotes by hand, computers filled a room,
and deposit ledgers weighed a ton.
Happily I donned the various hats of a mother – cook,
chauffeuse, nurse, gardener, teacher, decorator and seamstress until,
eventually, I was a grandmother and retired.
But now they want to force me into another hat, with
the words writ large – ELDERLY, VULNERABLE, PRISONER.
That hat won’t fit.
Good for you, Lizy
ReplyDeleteThanks Neil - I hpe I don't have to eat my words in the weeks and months to come!
DeleteIt's a tough time, but better to be safe and take heed of advice. Hopefully there is some light at the end of the tunnel.
ReplyDeleteSafe, yes, but how about relying on our common sense?
DeleteDifficult times. I can appreciate your frustration.
ReplyDeleteThanks Anthony
DeleteIt's hard to tolerate labels that aren't self imposed, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteSusan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
Very hard.
DeleteVery apt for these times and poignant
ReplyDeleteSuddenly the world feels ageist, and I don't like it!
DeleteDear Liz,
ReplyDeleteWe've all worn those hats, haven't we? I do remember when computers filled a room. Who'd believe we'd be carrying them around in the form of a smartphone? Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Thanks Rochelle - the younger generations don't know how lucky they are!
DeleteNo need for that hat!! Don't let them force you to wear it
ReplyDeleteI shall rely on common sense, of which I have a lot more than some of the younger people who have been partying regardless of lockdown.
DeleteYou don't have to accept and therefore be defined by their hats. Keep on being you!
ReplyDeleteThanks Russell, I intend to!
Deletea life well-lived indeed. but still more miles to go before you sleep. :)
ReplyDeleteWell put, plaridel, a lot more miles.
DeleteYou may have all of the common sense in the world, but it's a rare commodity these days. You know how you drive defensively? Now you have to live defensively.
ReplyDeleteHow true - walking away from people rather than towards them has become normal.
DeleteGood for you - standing strong! Yes!
ReplyDeleteThanks Doodle - yet there are some people telling me I'm beging foolish / selfish / blinkered. And the advice is contradictiory - stay in, exercise, avoid all social contact / remain sane!!
DeleteGrandma..or in my case Nana, is my favorite hat by far.
ReplyDeleteI agree with that - I'm Nanny, and have been since my husband became Grandad 26 years ago.
DeleteRoam safely! And wear the hat you feel best in.
ReplyDeleteI'm still staying safe, just not indoors all the tiem.
DeleteIt should not fit. You are not a prisoner. Even if one might be more vulnerable, or more at risk, it does not make them weaker. Stand strong. Do what is right to protect yourself and your loved ones. But you are not imprisoned. You are you. Stay well! Waving to you from NYC, where we're pretty much still under 'stay-at-home' ... Not prisoners, but collaborators in keeping this big metropolis as safe as it can be till we figure this thing out a bit more. ...
ReplyDeleteI live in a village - a small communtiy where itis easier to keep my distance from other people, which is what 'staying safe' is all about. It must be so much more difficult in a city.
DeleteYour post took me at break-neck speed through the incredible changes of life over the last 70+ years. Excellent. And I love your last line. I refuse to accept that hat, as well.
ReplyDeleteGood for you, Linda. And thank you.
DeleteGood for you. Never let anybody else tell you how to act or who to be. Though we're all kind of prisoners right now.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny. I recently had a conversation with a friend about all the things we've done and want to do.
And have you made a list for after the virus?
ReplyDelete