May 2013 – Achilles & Aristotle

Bear Necessities

This picture – drawn by my daughter – melted my heart and sums up my week. It captures the beguiling mix of sleepiness, size and sheer cuddliness of the Giant Panda. Like the °0° koala, there is nothing in nature cuter than the right type of bear.

I, for my part, have been much more the sore-headed variety of bear. Plenty of reasons to be grizzly at work and robbed of the hope of weekend hibernation – by the prospect of Spring camping in the cold and rain. But a sneek peek at this picture has cheered me up on at least half a dozen occasions.

The sleepy panda adorned her school campaign poster to save the benighted black and white bear. But the latest thinking says forget ‘enigmatic species’ and save ecosystems if you want conservation – bamboo forests are the thing to focus on, not the coy, inscrutable and often unsuccessful pairings of pandas in zoos.

So perhaps the tree in the picture is as important as the adorable bear hanging off it. Whatever the truth, this picture has made me – and by sharing it – a good few other people smile this week. Perhaps now a few more.

Children, Life

Sociabilidad

Time was… I was a miserable old soul. Grumpy, cynical and unsociable. A heart of gold; but a ‘crusty’ carapace. But the onset of children, middle years – and life in generally good shape – means I surprise myself sometimes.

Of course no leopard entirely changes its spots. I have finite (and quite small) reserves of geniality – just ask the missus and our friends. But in short bursts, and in the right circumstances, I can now be a jolly old soul.

And this morning was a good example. Having bought a nice purple potted plant with my son (who loves a natter and hugging complete strangers). We bumped into someone I’ve only ever spoken to once, a woman from work, painting her new house wall.

Time was I’d have smiled wanly and hurried on by. But today I popped the boy in the car – and jogged back for two minutes of spontaneous sociability with her and her other half. A flower, the son and sociability – the recipe for a blooming good morning.

Life, Psychology, Work

Cheerfulness

Hard yards at the moment. Much ado at work and plenty on at home. But the top tip of this week comes from the Royal Navy – cheerfulness counts.

From the Battle of Trafalgar to the present day, Britain’s Royal Navy has run on cheerfulness.

Nobody follows a pessimist. And grumpiness ain’t attractive. However hard, keeping your chin up cheers everyone up.

So despite the temptation not to, I’m keeping smiling. Life’s too short. Cheerfulness counts : )