Plain Old Conversations Are Full Of Gems.

Finding the genuine living in everyday life.

In our collective quest to find the next big rush, we tend to forgo the simple, easy and heartwarming conversation with people we either live with ( dreadful, isn't it? ) or that are woven into our life's tapestry.

Just before lunch, I went to visit a delightful older lady who will turn 90 next year. A lady who still lives alone, keeps her garden beautiful and can fill a conversation with interesting things.

One trait a lot of the older healthy people I talk to have in common, is that they have some wine every day...Lead on MacDuff...

As per usual, my Mausi and her antics came into play, and it reminded this lady of a funny and at the same time, sad incident. A few days ago she was having an afternoon snooze in her favourite garden chair, when she heard a rustling and then saw a small shape next to a flower pot which was close to her chair. She looked again, and saw that it was a small mouse.

Now, remember, she knows how prolific mice breed and what destruction they can cause in a home. There she was sitting, with the mouse aware of her yet not running away. On the contrary, this mouse lay down on its side, sunning herself between the flower pot and the chair.

A while later, this mouse turned and lay on its other side to rest. Well, that pose turned out to be its final resting pose as the end of a broom turned out to be its destiny. As cute as it looked, the thought of having to bear a winter with mice on board, was too much for this lady. Although, she felt dreadfully guilty for having used the broom.

Before you make a complaint about the ending of a mouse's life, try and live a whole winter with an every increasing brood of mice. Mice that go into your cupboards, nibble at various food ingredients or just run over your face while you sleep.

Even while she told me this story, I could see that she was still feeling a bit bad about it, yet having grown up in the country she knew that a mouse had to be dealt with. At the end, both of us were laughing at image of her brandishing her broom about...Just a simple tale, but a gem embedded in ordinary conversation.

Biggi