That old temptation again ... and some random comments

I'm still on the circulation for one of the cricket teams at work.

This could be a very dangerous thing.

It's just one of the teams that I'm getting the emails from. I think the other team may have given up on me as the fella who used to do the organising has passed on the baton to someone with more time. That's something I found when I was running the indoor cricket team, it was starting to take over from the day job and there was so much stress with getting a full team to actually turn up. That shouldn't be a problem should it ? If I said I'd play, then I'd turn up even if my arm was hanging off. And if you know me, there has been a period where my arm has been literally hanging by tortured muscles and duff tendons.

(It was the period of the torn rotator cuff / minor dislocation - when I picked anything up in my right arm, it felt like it was getting pulled out of the socket).

Yep. Just the one team with their eye on me at the moment. And it's the one where I was looking to back away from playing anyway due to bad captaincy. I like the fella who runs the team (we regularly do the Lords pilgrimage together, maybe not this year) but he didn't get chance to captain much. The stand in tended to put the fella with the atrocious throwing arm (me!) in the outer areas of the field where it's ... boring. And not where I'm a terror, in the infield closer in where I'll throw myself around to get the spectacular run outs.

That's a weird part of my personality. It happens in badminton too. The mundane stuff bores me, I'll naturally go for the more spectacular stuff. Like the quick fast infield scampering or the tough but spectacular shots in badminton. A little bit show offy ? Perhaps compensation for an otherwise introvert nature. Perhaps that part of my brain sees the need to show off as a contrast for otherwise fading into the background.

The cricket ?

Yeah. The temptation has been coming back again as my outsides steadily repair. They're still incredibly prone to being further damaged but ... I'm seeing that light at the end of the tunnel. And feeling it too as I touch skin that's now much smoother.

Not fixed yet but it may happen inside the next month or so. We shall see.

What isn't fixed is the damage to my insides. I'm ok when I get moving but there are those reminders from hips, back and shoulders. Just reminders. They still work pretty well, they're mostly complaining about lack of use.

Nah. I'm quite happy ignoring that temptation to play again. I can vaguely remember back to two years ago the frustration of having to leave balls go that were going outside my throwing range towards the fella on the boundary. I wanted to go haring off after them but knew I wouldn't be able to do anything except for just get in the way. I don't like that feeling, especially as I knew one reason he needed to be covering the boundary is because I couldn't.

Other random comments ?

I've been watching the social medias ... One trend you see on there is the Emotional Blackmail Shame post. The one where someone posts something really horrible, or something with the base message "if you don't like or share this, you're a horrible person". Like the mothers day posts which said things like "share if you love your mom".

I love my mom (and mom 2) and they know that. They love me too. I think. I don't need to share a random picture that's come from a viral source. Nah - I uploaded the Happy Mother's Day dwagon. It gives the message in my own fashion, not a way borrowed from something gone viral.

Similar with the cruelty posts. I feel really bad for the animals who are victims in these pictures. There's been one doing the rounds of a dog with its back paws duct taped together, its front paws duct taped together and its muzzle duct taped shut. It has the caption "Share if you would help this dog". I hope everyone who knows me would know that I would :

Comfort that pooch as best and as gently I could
Send someone off to get some scissors
And cut the bonds
(Note - not remove the duct tape as - tape + fur = super pain to remove)
Carry poochling off to a vet to see how it could be helped
And then I'd probably adopt the pooch.

There will always be a special place in my heart for the unconditional love that a dog will give its master. (I like cats too but that's more a staff-boss relationship). I don't see that I have to hit that share button to show that I'm not cold hearted. I like to think that the temperature of my heart is something I demonstrate continually.

I know a few people reading this may think I mean them but - I mean no disrespect. The worst thing we can do is turn a blind eye to suffering. But ... what I object to is that emotional blackmail that's involved with turning raising awareness cruelty into blindly sending something viral. It's a bit like the chain letters that started out as something interesting but had that awful "If you don't send this to 5000 people then your life will be ruined.". I used to occasionally pass those on but I'd remove the chaining part at the end. But that chaining is exactly the same as "Share if you care".

I think I need to get back to something more positive now.

Help out where you can. I'm not saying spend all of your own time to be a selfless monk of sacrifice but consider helping others in your own small way. If enough of us help just a little, that makes the world a better place.

If you can bring a smile to people, then that makes everyone's day brighter.