Category: Being Human

Like peas in a pod…or not

Joey Jones2 Comments

Which aspects do you think makes a person unique?

We all agree, I reckon that it’s our genetic make-up, our DNA, that is the mother of our uniqueness?

After that, it’s pretty much the wildwest-I was going to say where do we start? But I guess the beginning is a good place as any.

We were created by and from two souls who brought a whole bunch of baggage to the table.

Our upbringing and could on the surface be similar to a sibling, but there will be differences from the off. And dont forget, identical twins will have different fingerprints.

The conditioning that is absorbed and that rejected. An inane sense of self may begin quite young. There again, maybe sometimes that never develops.

Does a child feel supported, guided, safe, and loved? Is it well fed and nourished in all ways every single child should? Everything that happens around them will affect their way of looking at the world. Or do they look the other way in denial, shutting down their developing brains for safe keeping?

Personal life experiences, triumphs, failures,challenges,perspectives, perceptions, values, beliefs, morals, passions, natural abilities, goals,authenticity, and  choice? It all has an effect.

Our ability or inability to express ourselves with so many varying communication styles. Or unable to at all, causing innumerable issues.

Where does self-reliance and strength of character become a thing?

When/how is an honest or dishonest person formed?

What makes a human being kind, open, friendly, and compassionate?

Why are some folk cold, hard, remote?

What makes us unique is a topic worthy of a thesis. Methinks

How complex.

Where the Light Finds Us

Joey Jones2 Comments

What experiences in life helped you grow the most?

“There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in” Leonard Cohen ( 1934~2016)

Some questions make it sound as though growth comes from a few big, defining moments. As if we’re meant to point to the dramatic scenes and say, there… that’s where I changed. But most of the time, we’re growing in quieter ways.

There are the cracks life gives us without warning. Loss, change, surprise. They open something in us, and the light finds its way through before we’ve even had time to steady ourselves.

There are the tiny cracks, too, the ones we barely notice at the time. A kindness that shifts your mood. A disappointment that slows your pace. Small openings that don’t feel like lessons, yet they soften us all the same.

And there are the cracks we choose. The boundary we finally hold. The truth we stop swallowing. The moment we walk away from something that no longer fits. These openings carry their own quiet courage, and the light that enters through them feels earned.

Together, they shape us. Not in neat chapters, not in grand arcs, but in a steady, ongoing way. Big moments open us. Small moments shape us. All of them let the light in.

And maybe that’s enough to notice for now — the way the light finds us, softly, through whatever openings we have.

As proud as…

Joey JonesLeave a comment

What are you most proud of in your life?

It’s a funny old word Proud, I reckon. It doesn’t always sit right with me.

You may hear someone say ‘ Oh, she’s very houseproud’. But there’s something off about that, in my mind. Usually said as not so complimentary. If one needs to say something at all, why not? ‘She keeps her house lovely?’ Sounds completely different, doesn’t it? It was supposed to.

Or what about ‘ he’s a very proud man’? That phrase could mean multiple things, but it comes across on the negative side, I feel.

We all understand if a woman says she’s very proud of her kids, for whatever reason. We get it.  She’s allowed that

So, yep, I struggle with the word ‘ proud’ and how I may apply it to the DP today.

Doing an audit of my life thus far, I have certainly congratulated ( I think that’s the right word) for remaining  resilient when the path was rocky from time to time.

I’ve done bits and bobs, achieved little this n that’s that make me feel my life has not been wasted…but pride, dunno?

OK. I’ve got one. So many years ago, it almost feels like a past life that I got to abseil down the side of a theatre in Hammersmith, London, for charity.

I gave myself a tiny bravery award for even contemplating it. A pat on the back with relief when I did it and absolute blushed cheeks when some handsome guy in a uniform said I was ‘ a natural’. Lol. Yeah. I guess for a few minutes walking back to the tube, I was proud of myself. The proudest moment of my life, not so much, but the warm fuzzy feeling was definitely there for a short while.