Yesterday, after noticing the health app on my phone indicating a recent walk had exceeded 1,500 metres, the old adage ‘You should walk a mile in my shoes’ randomly sprang to mind. This he dictum meaning not to judge a person prior to understanding the life experiences, challenges and thought processes driving their behaviour of which you disapprove.
If that advocacy of folklore was to be taken literally, the protagonist mimicking the mile walk I’d just undertaken would’ve experienced a pleasantly scenic meander. Leaving them to conclude walking in my shoes was a doddle, consequently upholding their low opinion of what they deem as GJ Strachan’s flawed behavioural traits..
Footnote – To clarify, the above mentioned protagonist would’ve found the walk enchanting if enamoured with West Yorkshire reservoir views, along with being able to fit comfortably into my size 9 sneakers…….. If water scenes weren’t their bag and they possessed size 14 clod-hopper feet, the comment would back the adage’s message of conceivable uncomfortable.journeys.
As an aside, my new found cathartic pastime of drawing caricatures and doodles continues unabated. Within the last week, my art portfolio being augmented by the following etchings of Hollywood stars accompanied by their inspirational quotes:-
So enamoured am I with this brand new hobby, on Thursday I procured a set of premium soft touch coloured pencils. Drawing implements whose arrival yesterday imparted me with my second most euphoric lockdown episode, after Leeds United’s July promotion to the Premier League as champions.
This impulsive extravagance a consequence of concluding the cheap pencils previously utilised weren’t fit for purpose. This decision taken due to finding several fractures in the coloured lead, resulting in me utilising as much time sharpening the bloody things as applying colour to the once chaste paper.
Some may deem purchasing expensive coloured pencils as ostentatious, however you’d not expect Nicky Clarke, hairdresser to the stars, to coiffure celebrity customers hair with a scythe would you?
The pursuit of this pastime even earning encouragement from my mum. A woman who’s historically disapproved of her offspring indulging in creative hobbies. Her ‘what will the neighbours think’ mentality, employed when her children dice with artistic creation, making support a trait she’s ordinarily unable to countenance.
Consequently, when mater relayed me the compliment”They (my drawings) aren’t that bad….. You never know, you might get good at it someday!” an emotive lump reared in GJ Strachan’s throat….. Never has she been crueller!!….. Or more correct!!
Anyhow, now I’m in possession of these new high quality drawing utensils, this workman won’t be able to blame his tools for substandard artistic output quality. Instead, I’ll have to lay blame at the door of my mum for constantly bursting into the dining room, startling me while undertaking tricky pencil lines/strokes.
One of the boons learned from undertaking my new creative paramour is drawing imparts is a more serene pastime in comparison to innovation via its written art cousin. As much as I love writing, concentration levels required whilst administering literary quill to parchment reside on a significantly higher plateau.
The evolution of penning narratives doesn’t necessarily take me longer than leading a pencil to drawing paper. But, without doubt, those minutes/hours chronicling at my laptop require greater neurological immersion than that necessary when laying down original etchings.
Anyhow, I’m going to walk a mile in my shoes…… Well, to Tescos anyhow; which probably isn’t as far, or scenic, as yesterday’s reservoir meander.
