Modern Youth and a Digression

I went to the One Stop shop at Garroways in Coffee Hall to buy milk. I prefer to go there rather than the Eaglestone shop, although they stock milk and it's generally a good shop for basic items. I preferred to go to the one at Garroways because they sell milk in six-pint bottles which means less traipsing to the shops when it runs out. Incidentally, on the subject of milk, I had a knock on the door the other morning and it was the milk roundsman asking if we wanted milk delivered. I suppose it's a shame that the supermarkets have virtually killed off the traditional milkman's deliveries. No, we didn't want to have it delivered, although in some ways it would be more convenient but in all honesty I don't think we'd benefit from having it delivered as we always pick it up when we're in Sainsbury's or which ever supermarket.

Anyway, before I wandered from the track. A little digression. A bit like Ronnie Corbett in his rocking chair when he did those marvellous monologues as part of the BBC Saturday evening shows "The Two Ronnies." Did he have a rocking chair? I'm not sure. But it was an armchair of some sort, surely? I'll have to do some research on that.  Or even Laurence Sterne's amazing book "Tristram Shandy" which goes off in all sorts of directions and never seems to get to the point. (Incidentally, a book which I have read and enjoyed immensely and can recommend.) Now, where was I? Oh, yes.  I was queueing at the till to pay and there was this individual in front of me with headphones stuck in his ears (earbuds, not necessarily headphones) and he was jigging away to his music, looking a right idiot and oblivious to the world around him. Do the youth of today realise how stupid they look, not only jigging around in silence (obviously not themselves if they can hear the 'canned' music through their ear-phones) but more stupid if wearing those big headphones, which must be heavy on their head? Also, thinking logically, how can you hear the noise of traffic if you're listening to loud music and even people having conversations around them? I don't suppose it any worse than someone going around with their smartphone glued to their hand and not paying attention to things. I was walking along one of the many corridors in the hospital the other afternoon (I think I was going to the pharmacy to pick up some medications for Carol which were on order.) This couple were walking along, one, a young boy, more interested in looking at his mobile, and they walked past me, and a few steps on I head this crash, he'd walked into a chair, obviously not paying much attention to the world around him. Most likely injured as a result, but more interested in texting or reading messages on Facebook than being aware of what's in the way. A little laugh to myself, not only as a result of this incident. but the other one earlier this morning.

What are the statistics, do you suppose, of how many people are injured or even killed, as a result of walking along looking at their smartphones and not paying attention to what they're doing? Or the same with those narcissists who insist on taking a selfie with their iPhones and falling over the edge of cliffs when they step backwards, or into the passing traffic along a busy road?  Must be quite a high figure. I've mentioned something similar about this when we visit Whipsnade or any other zoo. People seem more interested in taking selfies rather than taking photos of the animals  that are in the enclosures behind them. Not everyone, of course, but quite a large proportion.

Better Together Campaign

Last Sunday Milton Keynes Christian Centre began a campaign called "Better Together." It's actually based on Rick Warren's campaign. He's an American pastor at Saddleback Church in California. It's aimed at getting church out into the community. Each Sunday for six weeks we'll have a message from one of the Elders which is the basis for a weekly small group in homes all over Milton Keynes. I signed up on the first Sunday, with the intention of eventually having my own Life Group (called 'Cells' or 'House Groups' in other churches. They meet once a week, or sometimes monthly or bi-monthly, to do Bible studies and usually connected to what we've heard in church the previous Sunday. A good way to build fellowship with other Christians.) Unfortunately most of these groups are in the evening, usually starting at 7-7.30 p.m. As Carol and I get up at around 6 a.m. each morning, and Carol finishes work at 4.45 each evening, it is very difficult, if not totally impossible, to get to one of these groups. I'm generally unwinding and wouldn't manage to stay awake for a 2-hour session, what with my heart condition as well as the effects my medication has on me. So this was a good opportunity to set up a day-time course of some sort, to hopefully attract other retired people, or, at least, those who do shift work and can't possibly get to a Life Group due to work commitments. I'd signed up to run mine mid-week, on a Wednesday, and beginning at 2.30. The Better Together campaign uses video messages, recorded by Rick Warren, and members of the group can follow using a book, similar in some ways to the Alpha Course, which we had running at M.K.C.C.C. last September (in actual fact, I've now done the course twice at M.K.C.C., first time round as a helper, setting up the evening, and dismantling, and the second time, last year, as a participant. But I have done the course several times before, a couple of times at Rutland Road Church in Bedford, and once at Brickhill Baptist Church.)

I wasn't sure whether I was going to get anyone to join a group. I wasn't really that sure whether there was any demand for a group to be run during the day. I then had an email from church informing me that a lady called Maria had signed up. I then attempted to contact her, just to let her know I'd received her inquiry. It took some while before I get a response. I had emailed and got nothing back and then I sent a text message. Some people had this technology, computers, smartphones etc etc and are on them constantly. Then there are those who have them, sign up to have email, text etc etc but hardly use them. They don't check their emails or text messages regularly. I know that some people are addicted to these things. You see it out on the street, some people who don't communicate with the world around them, constantly looking at their mobiles. Obsessive-Compulsive in some cases. Sad, really. But there again, the technology has it's uses.

Anyway, after a few days I decided to ring Maria's phone number. I didn't get a response. not even a voicemail service, so I couldn't even leave a recorded message. There again, it's no use having this technology if you don't listen to it. So I had to leave things for a little longer. It was beginning to get closer to the day (yesterday) when the course was going to begin. I had been given the DVD with all the video talks on it as well as the book which goes with the course. Because I was hosting the course in my home I wasn't expected to pay for the materials.

I decided to have another go at phoning Maria. On this occasion she did answer, thank goodness. She had to pass the call over to her husband, Ted so he could write down my address. So, at least that was set up and I didn't have to concern myself with non-communication.

I had a second prospective attendee. I had their name and mobile number in an email from church, but when I called she didn't realise the starting-time of the group was during the day, so she couldn't come along, unfortunately. There is, of course, a good chance that more people might join, but it would have to be within the first couple of weeks, otherwise they wouldn't be able to catch up with the video talks.

Yesterday I got myself all ready for the first session at 2.30. I had cleaned the lounge, got some biscuits in for refreshment and got the kettle filled and ready. It got closer and closer to the time. If I'd been going to someone's house for the first time I would have got there a good ten minutes before the time the session was due to begin. 2.30 came and went. I thought, 'she's not going to come now.' Then it was 2.40 or there about and then Josh, from M.K.C.C. (It was him who gave me the lift to Sainsbury's a month or so ago when our car broke down, you might remember, if you read these posts on a regular basis.) He said that he had Maria and her husband there at church. They had got to my door and were knocking, but I wasn't answering. Well, they couldn't have done, because if they had, I would have seen them. I had been standing in the kitchen, looking out of the window, and no car had drawn outside and no one had got out and certainly hadn't knocked on the door. If I had seen them and they'd been there, I would obviously have let them in. It turned out that they'd been knocking on the wrong door, another house entirely, further along the road! I couldn't believe it. He asked for my house number, so I gave it (which I clearly gave to them when they'd rung a few days previously.) Josh said that they'd be with me in about 15 minutes.

So they turned up and parked on the drive at the front of the house. Maria was initially set to attend the session on her own, but Ted, her husband, came in and we ran through the session together, so I hope they are both able to come for the next five weeks of the course. Unfortunately, because they had been around 20 minutes late, we didn't manage to get through all the questions in the book, but at least we managed to run the two videos on the DVD. My television set has a built-in DVD player and we had a problem getting the videos to run as we wanted. It was difficult finding the first session on the disc, but we eventually got it running correctly after a few false starts.

I had to keep Alfie, our Yorkie, in the kitchen. It was clear that Maria wasn't that fond of dogs, and I would never expect to have him in with us as we did the course. Unfortunately Alfie doesn't like being shut in on his own, perhaps even more since Poppy has died. He kept scratching on the door, so I gave in and let him in. He becomes very determined to get attention and can manipulate you to get what he wants. So he sat with us, mostly sitting on Ted's knee. Not what I would have wanted, but it was far better than him constantly scratching on the door and doing more damage to the paintwork and apart from anything else, making it quite difficult to concentrate on the video talks.

So, all in all a positive afternoon and I hope it builds over the next few weeks. Keep watching my blog posts for further details as the weeks progress.