LEADERSHIP

My very first leadership role was being the eldest of 6 siblings.

Most people in Ireland where I grew up had a parlour in their home. It was used as the "good room", away from all the clutter of the house. Visitors were entertained there amongst all the best bone china,  spotless but uncomfortable chesterfield and  fireplace with well polished brasses.

This was our house when we became teenagers. Before this, it was our playroom.
It was a place where all old furniture, broken strollers and Christmas decorations went. By the way, our fully decorated Christmas tree lived there for 11 months of the year, with an old sheet thrown over it.  What a great toy! Furniture became busses and airplanes and helicopters.

I was the boss of this magical kingdom. With this important position came the responsibility of making sure everyone was happy, without too much screaming going on. I was also responsible for safety, reporting on any injuries. Swear words were a reportable offence. I was in charge of organizing all games but did take some input from my charges.

For the most part all went very well. When the charges revolted however, all went crazy. I contributed to a lot of this craziness, practicing my loud commanding voice. This voice was more high pitched screaming, which threatened reporting of everyone to the highest bosses, the parents. Surprisingly it worked, eventually.

My brother Barry loved experimenting with cooking. He I used to do lunches and snacks. He liked to mix various instant soups together to produce strange flavours. He is the one who invented the pleasant medicine. He would mix a spoonful of Ribena, our daily dose of vitamin c with fizzy soda water, as our lunch drink. My sister enjoyed spending so she would go to the shops with our food budget and buy unusual food like cheese slices and blood oranges which thrilled us. Bernadette and Joan were the youngest so I would do their hair in strange styles and dress them up in their party clothes. My brother Thomas came up with the most unusual idea of all. He had heard the sunrise was amazing to see. When my parents were away for an overnight we tried to stay awake in front of our large dining room window, hoping for a view. Needless to say we all fell asleep on the big comfortable chesterfield and missed it. It was very exciting and mysterious trying to stay awake all night however, so we did not feel disappointed.

I think I spent far too much time practicing my loud commanding voice. I learned a lot. One Christmas my brother Barry gave me a bag of candy.  "This is from all your brothers and sisters" he said. "We wanted to show you how much we love you". It brings tears to my eyes every time I think about it. It will stay with me all my life. Words are very powerful. I did learn a lot.

ENTERTAINMENT

We can watch movies on TV and our i-pads. Nothing though, replaces the magic of the movie theatre.

I love binge watching the shows I stream. I still miss though, going out for dinner or perhaps coffee and desert, before heading to a movie at the cinema. The anticipation and excitement, of getting away from the mundane, is wonderful. Discussions afterwards can be exhilarating.  I like to do a revision of all the main parts in the movie, and then give my expert opinion on how well or how badly they were handled. I am ready to do a review for all who ask, and even those who do not. Discussions with my husband can become quite heated. We sometimes end up agreeing that even though the movie was not well written it was well acted, so worth the expense. Sometimes the reverse is true. We always agree, that no matter what, having a night out is fabulous.

Covid takes these experiences away. I do think reading a good book is probably closer to "the night out" experience than streaming. The book brings one into a different world which is not the same for any two people. We are shown this world in movies, and need both acting and scenery to be perfect. In books we have to imagine the scenes ourselves. I don't know about you, but I am always the main character in a book. I have all the strength and charisma of the protagonist, while i am immersed in it. There is some sadness when the book is finished, maybe because I turn back into my real self.

I love fiction. No matter how horrific the story is, I know deep down that it is not reality. It is a way to live in another world for a while where life needs every bit of my knowledge and ingenuity to solve complex situations.

One of my favourite books is by the English writer Ruth Rendell, written under her pseudonym Barbara Vine. Grasshopper is a psychological suspense novel. Clodagh, the protagonist is someone who has survived a tragic event in her youth. This colours most of the rest of her life. Something so unusual, but so creative happens, which knocks her out of her ordinary sad life. She becomes "a roof walker" with a close friend she has met. These roofs are the ones on old tall Victorian homes in London. She comes across many colourful characters and some intrigue during her walks. It is a surprising, intelligent story well written.

I cannot wait for Covid to be over, so I can supplement my entertainment by going to movies. The occasional live theatre play would also be great. Doing something with a group will be much more appreciated. Even seeing people around and happy will bring pleasure.