I’ve been tagged by Spatulahandle! to do this rather intriguing meme – to sum up my life in just six words. The wonderful writer Hemingway once bet ten dollars that he could sum up his own life in just six words. His words were: For Sale: baby shoes, never worn.

I’ve done this meme before - so I thought I’d bring it up to date now, for how I feel in mid 2008 – as opposed to how I feel about my whole life (my previous six word meme was: I fly by my own wings)

Any of you have read my novel or know me well, will be aware that I am a die hard Woody Allen fan. I’ve seen all his films, read all the books written about him, have met him and watched him play live jazz (on many occasions) in the days when he was a regular at St Michael’s pub in New York (P and I sitting at the front table no more than 10 feet away from him) – and I also have his autograph. So it won’t surprise you that I’m going to quote him now:

Life is full of misery, loneliness, and suffering – and it’s all over much too soon.

OK that sounds pretty gloomy, doesn’t it? But sadly I think it is true for many people. The older I get, the more aware I become of the mess the World is in. Many in the World are starving, while other are overweight or obese. Many have no access to clean drinking water (one of the most basic human needs), wars are raging, slavery of one type or another is still flourishing (who do you think makes the cheap clothing you can buy?) while corrupt politicians, who are more interested in inflating their own already over-sized egos than doing any real good with the power they have, do nothing. People are dying from diseases that can often be cured, sometimes they die from lack of medicine or medical care and yet millions of pounds/dollars is  being allocated to, and spent on, destructive weapons and war. It’s a mess. And truth is, I feel helpless in the face of it all.

I don’t focus on it from day to day – or I’d become depressed. So like most of you reading this, I watch the news, am newly shocked each time, them I mostly repress it all. As a person of miniscule importance in a BIG World, I can’t do a lot else. So my very personal, very appropriate, carefully considered, six word memoir for mid 2008 is:

I find joy in each day!

Because life is too short. Woody is right. And other than raising awareness, giving whatever we can to charity, helping others along the way, and spreading a little kindness in a harsh World – we do have a duty to enjoy the life we were blessed with – for it will be all too soon over.

Below: Rainbow over part of the beautiful coastline where I live.