Spot the Difference!

A friend of mine claimed recently that she makes a note of one thing she has learned every day.  In my opinion that demonstrates an enquiring mind, and a humble attitude to life, acknowledging the falsehood of claiming 'I know all about <anything>'.  Today I'm taking a leaf out of her book and will tell you what I have learned.  This week I've discovered the difference between incompetence and incompleteness.

On Monday evening I succumbed to an overwhelming sense of incompetence.  I was (in theory) taking part in a conversation about changes in comedy in recent years compared to thirty or forty years ago.  In practice, however, I was only a witness to the conversation, finding myself unable to contribute to the discussion.  Most, if not all of the modern examples referred to were unknown to me, and I felt there was definitely something missing in my life.

The next day another friend was planning a quiet hour in the midst of a busy schedule and, learning of my angst, offered to share that time with me.  From a far-reaching café table conversation that nudged me back to reality, I'll pick out just one key point, "You do so much!".  Thinking around my retired lifestyle, I can see the truth of that, but I'm also aware that much of what I do is less than satisfying because it isn't finished.  Let me offer some evidence of that.

Three years and more ago, I obtained a book written by a fellow-writer.  It is one of those self-examination books, with a few questions at the end of each chapter.  I dug in with gusto upon its arrival, and covered several chapters quite quickly; one winter, I did a couple more, but it still sits on my table, less than half-completed.  Last week saw the arrival of her second volume.  This has now joined its fellow, and reminded me that here is a task not yet finished - incomplete, but not a sign of my incompetence, for there is documentary evidence of my having progressed through those early chapters.

About this time last year, I realised that I had booked a bell-ringing weekend that coincided with my cousin's golden wedding celebrations, and hit on a novel way I could provide a suitable gift - a twin family tree of both her and her husband.  It wasn't until the task was well under way that I realised that, to complete both to an equal degree of compass and precision, I should have to cut some corners from my normal research routines.  This in turn meant that, after the presentation, there was a good deal of 'catch-up' activity.  With no urgency to this, it was completed only quite recently and it seemed a good point at which to print out the over 180 pages of my whole researched ancestry so far discovered, and replace the last edition created several years ago.

As I carefully replaced one set of pages with the other, I realised that a number of dates were missing from the print-out, mainly because burial dates - although a fair guide to an immediately-preceding death - don't automatically substitute for death dates!  So I'm now slowly ploughing through the new pages, adding those dates manually for the time being, and noting which pages will ultimately need to be replaced.  It's another task that isn't finished, but which doesn't imply any inability to achieve the desired end in time.

And finally, comes news of a new project, not one of my own, but one in which I hope to play a small part.  Despite its outward appearance of comfortable prosperity, our town has a small but not insignificant homeless problem.  The local Salvation Army corps has decided to try to alleviate some of the misery that this condition places upon its victims, and other churches including mine have pledged their support.  Yesterday there was a meeting to plan in particular how this will be kicked off next week.

As someone who has for the most part led a very solitary life, I find it difficult to engage with strangers, and had hitherto been of the opinion that anything of this nature was beyond my capability and best left to the experts ... or at least to other people.  There is something about this particular cause, however, that commands my closer attention, and I decided that the time had come for me to  'bite the bullet'.  I have no doubt that, once started, this project will grow, but how it will affect me is for the moment somewhat uncertain.  It's very much a case of watch this space!