Today it rained. Finally!!. Besides the obvious reasons why this is good news, I like it, because I love to wear wellies. There was a lot of activity in the Square by our building. A few days ago, they painted the benches and bins, cleaned up the hedges, they mowed the grass, came to take measurements and photos of the Square,
and put up a new name plate. For me, until now, it was our little square, mine and Nuki's, my dog. And when we go for a walk, I'll keep telling her: let's go to our little square. But officially, it now has a name…which I haven't retained. As I was saying, there were a lot of workers this morning, gardeners finishing weeding, sound technicians installing microphones and speakers, city officials installing a lectern and small tents. I guess, tomorrow will be the official inauguration with a speech, pictures and an article in the newspaper. In a few days, the people who live in the street, will sit again in the morning on the benches and on the grass. At night, there will be mountains of sunflower seed shells on the floor, along with cans and wrappers. And it may even be a gust of wind that will knock the newly placed sign with the name of the Street. But tomorrow, the Square will be beautiful, for the picture. Seeing and thinking about all this, reminded me of when I was a teenager and had important exams. On afternoons like that, I liked to turn on the TV and listen to debates in the Congress of Deputies. If it was the debate on the State of the Nation, even better. I listened to them talk and thought: "If these people go to sleep peacefully, without having solved a single problem since the last time they met, why should I be worried about tomorrow's exam?. And straight away I would put on one or two movies from the video club, have dinner and only at dawn would I start reading everything, until the sun came up, had breakfast and went straight to school, to the exam. Zero sleep. I wrote what I had just read and sometimes I even got a super grade. In my time, it was enough to write exactly as it was on the textbook, no research was requested, much less reflection. I remember going to the hairdresser in the middle of the exam period and arriving with super short hair to the astonishment of my classmates, who had spent the whole afternoon studying. And overwhelming each other… I also remember the day when a question on the Physics exam was "to think" and was worth 3 or 4 points. The teacher walked between the tables in the classroom looking at the answers and suddenly she blurted out: "Only one person has been able to solve it." All the official nerds looked at each other… and then the teacher said: “It's Gloria”. The surprised faces of all of them were incredible, but mine was even more hehe. Since I had not studied the formulas… I “invented” a formula. (I always become stronger when I have a problem to solve) hehe. It goes without saying, that when handing in the grades, as only I had answered it, the teacher canceled the question, subtracting the 3 or 4 points from my exam. I don't remember if I still passed... Another time, I lent my makramee work to a friend because she hadn't done it. They called us in alphabetical order... they gave me a 6 or something like that... when the teacher got to the S…( of my friend's last name) She showed my Makramee work again and got an 8 or a 9. That was my earliest experience with the Authority, with the Hierarchy, with the people who can wield some power over you.
Needless to say, I developed a complete intolerance to that kind of Teaching.
I loved and will always love learning, but everything around my school years was just nonsense.
But it was a valuable life lesson. Knowing that you are the one to put the note on yourself, every day. I also learned that there are more teachers of what one should not be than of what one should be. For example, politicians. I will not go into the clichés associated with this sector of the Society and of all Societies, regardless of the Country or the Party. No, we already know that...just imagine, the plugging of the makrameegate and the cancellation of my correctly answered question, happening with a municipality budget and you already will have a vague idea... For a change, I want to focus on what does inspire me about Politicians: Their ability to self-promote. To congratulate themselves constantly and publicly on each achievement obtained. Living for the moment of "discovering the plate", without worrying after if what they have inaugurated will work or not. That is a good Philosophy. Give yourself credit for all your daily achievements Live as if you were inaugurating a new Plaza, every day.
But caring and trying with all your strength, that every day is picture ready.
***Pocket square : The Leader
