People can't seem to get enough of the C-word these days. It's all over the news and the first topic people throw into a conversation. It even beats talking about the weather ( the number 1 topic in The Netherlands ). Although I agree that it's not the best time of the year to discuss the weather ( talking and complaining about rain and wind won't make the sun return ), it also doesn't help to throw in the C-word over and over again.
It just makes things bigger and spreading fear has never been a good thing.
I am about to visit one of my best friends, who I haven't seen in 5 months due to me having a house in Portugal. This guy is in many ways the opposite of me: he has been married for about 5 years, has a stable job, a house with a mortgage and two kids. He can be seen as an example of a citizen - a yuppie paying taxes, living inside the system, not breaking any rules and being happy with it. He is also a ( family ) doctor.
We have known each other for over 25 years, from da hood. We lived close to each other in the cheese city Gouda, the town where both of us grew up in and where our parents still live.
F ( I'm not gonna use his full name, the F word will need to make do ) is the kind of guy who never seemed to really struggle in life. He rolled into studying and becoming a doctor with only a couple of small deviations. F married his first serious girlfriend and so on and so forth. I myself have been the struggling creative, sensitive guy full of doubt for as long as I remember. I have also always felt that living inside the system wasn't the right thing to do. I have felt attracted to nature, freedom and all that jazz from a young age onwards. I only recently discovered that I have way more power than I thought to change ( my life ) and feel better and slowly started changing my limiting believes. It's still a work in progress but I can feel the change wherever I go. It's only getting better.
To make a long story short...
although the F word ( my friend F ) and I have been polar opposites from the start, we just always hit it off when we meet, as if we balance each other out. I don't remember ever having been in a fight or argument with him. Whether we talk or are silent, whether we play a game of chess, go on a walk, enjoy a meal or drink or whatever else we spend our time with, there's never an awkward moment. All is fine.
I started this write up mentioning the C word and the reason I did so , is that this friend is a doctor.
I am curious how much we're gonna use the C word in the twenty four hours or so that I will spend at his place. I sense that his sensitive and somewhat fearful wife S ( yes, she could be the S word in this blog post ) will mention it. S***** is the kind of person who still believes in media and the ( unhelpful ) reality and fear that they are creating.
F**** has always been a down-to-earth kind of guy. Being a doctor or not, I don't think the C word will trouble him much. It wouldn't even surprise me if he's joking about it. And you know what, that's what all of us should do.
Let us not be taken over by fear. Let's focus on what we can do to keep living our lives. Let's ignore the media wherever and whenever we can. Let's keep smiling and breathing, one single breath at a time. And, even more importantly, let's keep hanging out with friends.
Have a great day. All is well :>)
@whatamidoing