HAPPY NEW YEAR

I don’t know about any other writer but I’ve been having a real struggle getting back into writing again after the holidays,  I can find plenty of things to do – except sit down and write.  I was bemoaning this to my friend Ruth.

‘Have you heard about George?’ she asked me.

‘Who’s George?’ I queried.

Ruth continued. ‘One morning George received a brown envelope. Inside he was astonished to find £8,500 in cash and a note which read, ‘Spend all of this; leave nothing for tomorrow.’

Delighted, but puzzled as to who his benefactor could be, George spent the morning shopping.  He then idled the afternoon away and on his return home put what was left of his money in a jar to spend at his leisure.  The following morning he opened his jar but to his horror the money had gone.  He was trying to digest this fact when another brown envelope clattered through his letterbox with another £8,500 inside and a note; ‘Spend all of this; leave nothing for tomorrow.   This became a pattern. Every morning George would receive £8,500 with instructions to spend it all; leave nothing for tomorrow.’

Ruth paused; a lengthy pause. ‘Every day we’re given a gift of £8,500,’ she said. ‘In other words 17 hours of waking time, and it’s up to us how we spend them, value them, or waste them. They’re valuable because you can’t save those hours for the following day.’

I pondered on the wisdom of her words before asking, ‘Who’s George?’

Happy New Year.

Joan