Nonfiction – Page 11 – neilhayeswrites

Thin Skin

May 16, 2018 neilhayeswritesLeave a comment

Don’t laugh, don’t joke. Don’t criticise or question. It seems these days, so many people are suffering from a lack of strength. The thin skinned, the snowflakes, whatever title they are given they seem to take offence at everything.

Those who suffer from this condition come from all areas of life. The whole political spectrum is covered; don’t criticise or joke about a sex, don’t take my gun. The religious world uses this condition as its own armour; if you criticise the actions of Israel then you must be an antisemite.

The need for protection and support has become the need for silence. Criticise at your peril, for you may need stronger protection yourself. But the world needs critics, it needs ideas, it needs intelligent thought. So don’t snuff it out, please, just think about it. A silent world would be a scary place.

via Daily Prompt: Thin

Running! Who Me?

April 26, 2018 neilhayeswritesLeave a comment

Running? Me? Really? Come on! Yes, really! It’s only the beginning, but, at least, I have begun. Inspired by my sister to join the Couch to 5k challenge. I’d never heard of it before, but when I did, something clicked and I was out of the door within a couple of hours.

If you don’t know it, the idea is that you follow a 9-week training plan and go from being a couch potato to being able to run 5 kilometres. That’s the target, and a target is what I need to get me off my backside.

So far, I have just completed Week 1. That’s 3 walks/runs of 30 minutes each. Day 1 was painful, Day 2 was agony, Day 3 hurt but…Eureka! I recovered quickly and had a great feeling at the end.

So now I get a couple of days off and it’s on to Week 2, which doesn’t look too scary. I already know I can do it. And that seems to be the great thing about this idea. It hurts, but it’s a slow build up. I know it will get much harder, believe me the idea that I could run 5k is still very far fetched for me, but I have to focus on the now.

And right now, it feels great and I’m actually looking forward to my next run. Me? Who would have believed it?

Follow the flow

March 12, 2018 neilhayeswritesLeave a comment

Following the flow of a meandering river has to be one of the most enjoyable and relaxing ways to spend your time. You come across so much, if you are paying attention. Nature, wildlife, civilisation and, if you are unlucky, people. I’m joking a little bit about the last one, but my main purpose for a walk like this would always be peace and quiet.

Rivers change so much, around every curve there can be a new world to be discovered. Sometimes they are as straight as an arrow, running through the city, fortified against flooding. Then they can become a wilderness of tall grass, where childhoods are spent hiding and forts are constructed. Maybe they run through industry which seems a tragedy as an adult, but as a child was a wonderland of unknown and dangerous intrigue.

But, however you view them, they are a source of life. Veins and arteries, which cross our lands giving sustenance to all the organisms which depend upon them. So they must be cherished, cared for, and not allowed to deteriorate. For, if we are not careful, before long they may clog. And what were once healthy vessels with fresh water coursing through them, could become choked trickles struggling and shrinking.

So, as with the body, we must be careful what we put in, what we take out, and check regularly for any problems. Treatment must be quick and, hopefully, we will all live long and healthy lives together.

Suspicious

February 14, 2018 neilhayeswritesLeave a comment

Do you ever get a feeling? One that you can’t quite put your finger on. It sits there, at the back of your mind. Just a thought that something isn’t quite right, or not as it should be. A feeling of detachment, of disconnect. A suspicion that we don’t belong, that we are merely visitors. Sometimes suspicions prove to be true and the facts present themselves. During a brief visit you must use your time wisely. You must act, live. Stop dreaming and do it. But I have another suspicion, I already am.

Life

January 9, 2018 neilhayeswritesLeave a comment

Worn, torn, used, abused. Belongings that tell a story. Every scratch, every line, shows life. The character of a thing, etched into its surface.

Looking back, in years ahead, these signs of use can bring memories shooting back, sometimes in startling detail. And it is then that we can be glad, that we weren’t too precious and used the thing for its intended purpose.