Granddaughter Number Four, nine years old, and I quite often accidentally coordinate what we are wearing. We must have a similar taste in colours as we often end up with reasonably matching outfits. So far we have never done it deliberately but I did recently buy the same fleecy-lined hoodie in both her size and mine. We have yet to meet somewhere and discover that we match hoodies but I think that is largely because it has been too cold recently to consider venturing out in a hoodie, even fleecy-lined, rather than a great big coat.
Apparently Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian are among those who dress their children and themselves in identical, not just vaguely colour-matching, outfits. Mind you I expect theirs are designer outfits that cost an arm and a leg. Now, according to this article, you can extend that “mini-me” dressing habit to your dog as well as to your child. For a mere £135 you can purchase a four-leg puffer-coat or, if that seems a little steep, for £110 you can acquire a reversible down-filled doggie jumpsuit! Very stylish, no doubt, but if these dog-lovers spend that much on canine clothes, how much do they spend on their own? Besides, do dogs REALLY need winter coats? Are they not already equipped by nature?
Here’s another bit of nonsense, comforting nonsense for some I suppose. Years ago when I was reading and rereading books by Doris Lessing, I came across a passage in one of her books where she commented on labelling people with psychological disorders. Being told you are “nothing but … (insert diagnosis)” was not so much a cure as an explanation. But for some people having a label was almost enough. Today I read that the grief you feel when a close friend or family member dies is not just sadness but a diagnosed mental condition: “Prolonged Grief Disorder, which can last many months, or even years, and often involves an intense longing and despair, problems socialising and going about daily tasks, and feeling like a part of oneself has died”. I’m sure it exists but I’m not sure it needs a label.
But now experts say you can also suffer PGD after the death of a pet! The thing is that you can replace a pet but it’s rather harder to replace a lost family member. However, there are still societies where the grieving person is taken into the wider community and allowed to share their grief, much better than putting a label on it and suffering alone.
There is a song by Georges Moustaki called “Danse”, pretty much inviting us to dance our way through life. One line tells us to dance as you might write a poem on a wall:
“Danse comme on écrit sur les murs un poème.”
Well, here’s a link to an article about it being 40 years since an American writer living on London, Judith Chernaik, came up with the idea to post poems on the underground train system in London, poems you can spot amongst the adverts as you go up and down the escalators. She is 91 now but is still the editor, along with poets Imtiaz Dharker and George Szirtes, selecting six poems three times a year. Good for Transport for London, the Arts Council and the British Council for letting the tradition continue for so long. Long may poetry brighten our day!
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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