The phone rang and a voice said,
is that you?
I said, it’s me.
He said, who are you?
I said,I’ve not figured that out yet.
He said, are you pulling my leg?
I said, I can’t even see your leg!
He said, do you fancy eating owt tonight?
I said, eeh, you’re from Manchester!
But it was just a spelling mistake.
He was trying it on.
Whatever it is
Like refugees demented people flee
They have no plans no place where they can be
In my nightmares I have felt like this
No surrounding arms to bring us bliss
The fear which seems irrational is not so
Would you be patient with no place to go?
Lucky refugees may find a home.
The elderly are lost, they scream and moan
Help me help me like a child they call.
There is no Eden after that great Fall
They long for death, the home they’re in appalls
Where is the Ark to rescue these lost souls?
They have nothing left to pay the toll
Mother father husband and young wife
Confusion takes the meaning from a life.
They do not pray because they are locked out
No church no Mass, no priest,no rites,but doubt.
The piteous hands held out for us to grasp
We turn away, unbearable the task
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/regain-your-confidence
O
Another reason older adults lose confidence is ageism — the socially pervasive idea that you are too old to do certain activities.
In fact, studies have found that age stereotypes can diminish older adults’ ability to perform tasks even if they possess the proper skills.
For instance, research published in 2016 in the Journal of Applied Gerontology looked at the influence of ageism on driving ability among adults ages 65 and older. Participants’ driving confidence was measured by a questionnaire, and then everyone was exposed to either negative or positive age stereotypes.
The participants then completed a driving test. When confidence levels were recorded again, those who had been exposed to negative stereotypes had much lower self-reported confidence in their driving ability, even when they performed well on the driving test.
The lesson here is this: don’t let your age dictate whether or not you have the right ability, skills, or desire to succeed at something.
by Mike Flemming copyright
My old blue fountain pen allows
The ink across this page to flow
Like wet paint from an artist’s brush,
And words come in a rush.
Enchanted by the hand that writes .
Bewitched by art,beauty alights
The script is like a music score
Through which we step as through a door,
Imagination’s home.
As,mysteriously, to you, to me,
The spirits of our hearts are tamed ,
By rhythms of pen,of brush, of mind,
They enter vision quite unplanned,
Like moths to flutter softly round
Fire joined heart and hand
The pen slows down,the hand grows still,
And ,just as dreams at daybreak will,
They shrink,they disappear,they’re gone
Like dew dies in hot sun
How my heart sings 