It's just common sense.

Hello and Good Morning. Someone mentioned that I have a lot of common sense. I sort of agree with that, but it got me thinking about where common sense comes from. I haven't always had it, I was a bit dim in my teenage years. I probably acquired some when I started to go to work, not a lot because I was always learning from my peers and accepted their instructions. Practical matters came easy, but anything that required extra input from the brain box department was a bit more difficult.

What does common sense mean anyway? Is it something to do with how the brain is wired up, or how many experiences a person has throughout their lives, is it hereditary, (it has just taken me four attempts to spell that), or is it something you just learn as you go along?

My mum was a practical woman so I picked up a lot from her. I started washing my own clothes from the age of eleven, I was particular about my clothes not getting crushed with everyone else's. I spent hours hand washing in the sink, so now I don't chuck them in the washer every time I take something off. They have to be dirty or smell before I wash them. They last longer because they have not been bashed about. Common sense. I helped her in the kitchen, learnt how to cook by watching her. Now I eat all the food I buy because I know how to cobble a meal together from whatever I have. Common sense.

It was common sense to me that I needed to go out to work to earn money so I could pay for things I need. Mum didn't have a bottomless purse and needed the few £'s I was able to contribute to the household budget. My 'bank of mum and dad', was totally empty. That is a common sense attitude which is sadly lacking in today's modern world.

In my work I was always changing jobs, because whenever I learnt something it became repetitive and boring. Common sense to move on to pastures new. Learn another job. I enjoyed lorry driving, different trucks, different loads, new places to drive to. If I had to go to the same place every day to work it would do my head in. Common sense to choose a job with lots of mental stimulation. I only started slowing down and reducing my hours when my age was against me for finding new and exciting work. I had to stick with what I had to pay the mortgage, but changing to part time made it easier.

My mum warned me about boys of a certain kind who would be keen to have their wicked way with me. Her mantra was, 'keep your hand on your halfpenny', which I did, until about a year after I left home. I was too frightened to take it away. There were many snogging sessions which fizzled out when disgruntled person finally got the message that it was 'top bit' only. Nowadays mum's go clubbing with their teenage daughters dolled up to the nines. Is that the new way of keeping tabs on them? No, the mum's are keen to flirt alongside their daughters. How times have changed.

When I got a steady boyfriend, my first proper boyfriend, I thought I could be pregnant, shock horror. Thankfully I wasn't. It was at that moment when I found a massive dose of common sense which came from deep within my head. I was never going to take that chance again, so off to the doctors for contraception. After many years on the pill, it was obvious to me that I was never going to have children, so common sense told me that I needed a more permanent way to stop the little tiddlers in their tracks. I was sterilized.

I suppose the more you see of life the more common sense you gain. It's about living and learning every step of the way. I see it as keeping an open mind about all kinds of possibilities. There is enough information out there to spell everything out, it's a matter of if you are willing to get out there and absorb everything which is on offer, and explore all opportunities.

I was young and scatty, now I am older and wiser. I went through the stages of being grateful if anyone asked me out on a date, then falling in love with totally unsuitable people, the heartache of breaking up, and the realization that I am just very fussy about my idea of a perfect partner. Now common sense prevails and I am happily free of all that angst, I love my single life.

When I have to make any decisions, I nearly always base them on common sense. I think about what I should do, or what I ought to do. I think about what I can do, and what I can't do. I know my strengths, and my limits. I think about what people want from me, and whether I am capable of delivering it. Based on the information available, I am able to say yes or no.

Oh, I have made a few bad choices in among a lot of good choices, but I take responsibility for that. I blame no one for my mistakes. I am not perfect, I have been a bitch, but with age I now have a sense of calm. If I was my own best friend I would like me.  Does that make sense to you? Well it does to me :o))

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip