Fish and chips with a serving of advice

All throughout our lives we are given advice from our family and friends. Sometimes it is said in times of need and other times when you least expect it. It can be the words that you have been wanting to hear or the complete opposite. Either way those providing the advice only have our best interests at heart. However sometimes in life some of the best advice can come from the most unlikely sources. And this is what happened to me last Thursday evening in the Fish and Chip shop.

After deciding to have a little treat after work I popped to the local Fish and Chip shop. Whilst trying to make my order, an older gentleman in bright yellow trousers with a mismatched jumper, began shouting over my order and suggested I buy a pickled egg. After laughing at his request and taking a step back to wait for my order, he strode directly in my direction and introduced himself. The man was a very flamboyant, well-spoken gentleman approximately in his seventies. He asked where my husband was waiting to which I replied laughing. He demanded to know why I didn’t have a husband and then suggested it was because “they’re all bloody locked up in prison”.

After collecting my order, the gentleman stopped me in my tracks and begun to tell me his own love story. At the age of 22 he was engaged to a “large loud blonde with a bust to match”. However this was a short affair and the engagement was swiftly called off. After attending a party, he was mesmerised by one of his friend’s companions. From the moment he saw her, he said there was just something about her. After that evening  he pestered his friend to introduce him to this woman. However it took almost a year for him to finally track her down (no whatsapp back in the day). After finally finding her again and telling her the lengths he had gone to, to track her down again, the woman told him he was “an absolute idiot!”.

Yet the young couple ended up falling madly in love and after 50 years of happiness they are still together now with two beautiful daughters. After telling the man how lovely his story was, he took my arm and looked directly into my eyes. “One day my darling girl, you will walk into a room and see that one person and you will know they are the one for you. You will look into their eyes and know it’s them. They are the one”.

As an old school romantic, I felt the need to share my flamboyant friends advice with those who also love the notions of romance. We may not all be as lucky as yellow trouser man, but how lovely to hear his wonderful story. I will always remember my random encounter with him and will keep his wise words close to my heart.

 

The Lost Twenty-Something

I tell you what, it is bloody hard being a twenty-something. You can be whoever you want to be. You can do exactly what you want to do. Life is what you make it. It is one of the first times in your life you can dictate exactly what direction you want your life to follow. However is it really that simple?

The multitude of options can often be daunting and can result in you questioning decisions; have I chosen the right career?/should I go travelling?/what the hell am I doing with my life? Having graduated a few years ago, I was unsure of what path to take. In a rush to secure a job, I soon fell into the routine of a 9-5. I would meet with friends, who would discuss their exciting jobs, moving into new places and living a new life in London. I would always leave feeling underwhelmed with my current status and wanting more. After a year of routine, I decided to embark on a new adventure. I quit my job and begun interning in different PR agencies within London. A total shock to the system, I felt like I was reliving “The Devil Wears Prada”. For all the highs I experienced there were just as many lows. After not earning for 6 months and forever feeling like the new girl I felt completely lost. I was a twenty-something with no career, living at home with not a scooby of what I wanted to do. The pressure I had placed on myself had become too overwhelming.

But then I saw this quote. It is all too common these days for people to have a mid-twenty crisis. We all want so much from life and if your anything like me, I want it all now. However I have learnt to view life from a different perspective. Rather than worrying about the future, enjoy the present. Who knows what tomorrow may bring. Appreciate the small things in life. Never worry about what other’s think – do what makes you happy.

One thing I have learnt is life will throw many things your way. But rather than worrying about the bigger picture – live life like each day is an adventure.