My wife makes me laugh – sometimes!

Each time I ask her to go for a walk with me there are two conditions to her acquiescence.

1/ “Will there be any hills?” – “I don’t do hills”

2/ “Will there be a pub?”

Each time, I assure her that I will avoid anything that has any hint of an upward incline and there will be a glass of wine for her and a beer for me at the halfway point!

On a recent walk along a beautiful coastal path in North Devon, above Westward Ho, my wife enters into a philosophical mode of speaking – “William, why can’t the world be flat?”

My answer to her is about the challenge of hill walking, the spectacular views and sense of achievement, the snow cap peaks and the beauty of the mountains and valleys all over our world.

My inner response which stays with me longer still, is a deep reflection on the upheaval of emotions in each of our lives.

Why does my life have to be so emotionally charged?

Why can’t I feel calm ALL of the time?

Why do I react strongly to certain situations and conversations which leave me feeling that my life is a failure and the pain hurts so much.?

My inner voice draws my questions to the answer I gave my wife – the troughs and peaks of my emotional life are the mountains and valleys of the world which I love so much.

The feelings I endure / experience are life giving and life forming and there is beauty in all emotions.

The trick with emotions is to put them into the context of a wider life experience in the present so that they do not become all consuming so that life is being lived in a world that is flat!

My next blog will be: Keegan’s Choice

William Defoe