I am not particularly well read, political or at all religious.

Salman Rushdie was, to me, nothing more than that chap that caused bother writing ‘The Satanic Verses’.

Or something.

But one thing that I did read from him, was about ‘Endism’.

Endism

I don’t know whether Salman Rushdie invented the concept or picked it up from elsewhere and simply quoted it. But I do remember, very clearly, the sentiment of his narrative. Even though it was over 20 years ago that I first read it.

In fact, I clipped the original quote (which I have now lost) from a newspaper and pinned it next to whatever desk I sat at, for over 10 years. The newspaper cutting turned coffee brown because I had it for so long.

Anyhow, Salman commented that we all worry far too much about things ending and beginning. He suggested that, in fact, we are almost always in the middle of things, not at the beginning or the end at all.

He wanted us to think less about things starting or ending because (this is what I read into it, anyway) these are the stress points. The parts that cause most worry and concern.

Getting on the bike for the first time and wobbling. Tricky.

Stopping and getting off the bike at the bottom of the hill as the wall or the edge of the cliff is approaching. Tricky.

The bit where you are coasting down the hill – that’s cool!

The Middle

There is something in this.

Let’s simply define Endism as overly focusing on when things start or end. Forgetting that we are in fact simply in the middle of hundreds and hundreds of things.

So let’s enjoy them. All those lovely other things that are happening right now.

There. I feel better already.

If you’re a guy aged 40 or above, take a look at http://www.greyfoxblog.com.

It’s run by a chap I know called David Evans. David champions quality British makers. Here is a link to his spreadsheet. Always Wear Red are on the list.

David is great for other reasons, too.

David looks at style for the older guy. Personally, I am not a fan of fashion where it is patronising or controlling – telling me what to wear. Always Wear Red customers wear what they want to wear.

But the way David does it is to, somehow, simply present cool options. Sensibly, simply and well.

Grey Fox Blog also knows what it is for.

This may seem like a strange thing too say but what I mean is that David understands the needs he is fulfilling.

Much of the fashion industry ignores the older guy, even though he is likely to have more money, more self awareness and – because he is less inclined to be worried about what people think of him – a more adventurous approach to style too.

So there you go. Grey Fox Blog. Spread the word.

Image: David Evans, Grey Fox Blog, featuring in The Rake Issue 56 March 2018.

This is something I find hard to fathom or deal with.

In earlier parts of our lives, very little is perfect. But it doesn’t matter for three reasons:

1. We’re young. There’s a degree of built-in ‘Can’t be bothered-ness‘ to youth because we’re busy being young. Trying things for the first time. Working out who we are.
2. There’s time to chase perfect later.
3. For most people and most circumstances, everything can be mended or bettered with a little application and focus. Everything is (or seems) fixable.

Now I am older, things are starting to happen that mean perfect is impossible to achieve any more.

Even though lots of things are getting better. The baby, togetherness, adventure, new friends.

On Saturday I:

• Woke up and kissed Izobel.
• Buzzed out for an hour, came back and Izobel ran from the back of the house to the front of the house and jumped at me.
• Taught Izobel to wee in a potty. Then we both looked at the wee.  And cheered.
• Went supermarket shopping with £20 as money is tighter than it was.
• Bought a second hand slide for Izobel for £20 as money’s not that tight.
• Polished the slide with Pledge to humorous effect.
• Relocated to the second floor of the house to work on my laptop. Izobel wanted to jump on the bed, watch “Inside Out”, play on her slide and eat Parma Violets all at the same time. No work happened.
• Watched TV with Izobel after clearing up the mess she’s made over two floors of the house.
• Match of The Day. With Izobel (snoring).

How come the days I do nothing are the days I do everything?

The Jurassic Period, which we’ve all heard of, lasted 54,100,000 years.

The Triassic Period, which I’d not heard of, occurred just before the Jurassic Period and lasted 52,000,000 years.

The Cretaceous Period (never heard of it either) occurred just after the Jurassic Period and lasted even longer. 79,000,000 years.

I don’t care too much about those periods really. I’m not a palaeontologist (yes, I’ve been at Google and have probably still got some of that wrong).

The Michael Owen Period

The Michael Owen Period is occurring right now.

It’s been happening for about 50 years and will last for around 80 years.

I do care very much about this period.

All 80 years of it. Eighty.

Not 54,000,000 (54 million) or 52,000,000 (52 million) or 79,000.000 (79 million).

80.

If I stay healthy.

The “You Period”?

It’ll last about the same.

Context

I just wanted to point out that when we’re walking around museums and watching Steven Spielberg films with our children – and referring to The Jurassic Period by name – what we are really talking about is this…

A period of time 145,000,000 years ago that lasted for 54,100,000 years.

But we rarely explore the idea of a “You Period“…

Now. 80 years.

God; we’re here for a short amount of time aren’t we?

Let’s be more conscious of our time here.

The “You Period“.

We talk about the Jurassic Period by name and it means nothing to us really.

But we so rarely talk about or even think about the “You Period”.

And that means everything.

Literally.

It is all we have.

80 years. About 1,000 months. 30,000 days. About 720,000 hours (and we’re awake for only about 500,000 of them, sleeping for the equivalent of 220,000 days).

So there are about 11,000 days left before the Michael Owen Period is over.

For good.

Fun.

I am not sure exactly what I’ll do with my 11,000 remaining days.

But these figures focus me. I hope they focus you too.

One thing’s for sure. If I want to do something – I will.

And I intend to have as much fun as possible.

Image: The absolute living legend that is Mr. Bingo.