The Meerkat Muse: 10th of September, 2025
It’s a new month, but what else is new in the realm of Meerkat Musings?
Back to Reality
It took a bit of time for me to feel normal again. During my third spell of covid (this is the peril of going to several places with lots of people) my mind felt quite foggy. I had to keep my distance from my wife and daughter, and mask up in my own home to avoid passing the bug around. I couldn’t go near the laptop, which meant I couldn’t do any writing. Putting posts together for Meerkat Musings is doable via the mobile app, but developing my stories is virtually impossible, so all of that stalled. It was frustrating. What made matters worse is that my daughter wound up with covid, right as I was finally feeling better!
Even after testing negative, I wouldn’t have said I was in a great condition. I felt tired, and a bit groggy, for a few days. At least I was back to work, which gave me something to do, a purpose if you will. Mind you, the first day back happened to be the final day of a sale, which meant a lot more people than I was prepared or able to deal with. Talk about bad timing!
Delirious Dreams
During my covid-addled state, I had some peculiar dreams. The one that stands out the most for me was the one about my old Staples job. I was back there, working with old friends, talking about laptops, and explaining the tech to customers. In an abrupt twist, I – and at least one colleague – was in the building as the powers-that-be started to demolish it. I watched as seven years of memories were rendered into dust, and I recall wanting to take a very nice, very large TV home. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get it free from its moorings.
I also had a dream relating to another old job, where I was discussing my current job – and a few woes – with an old colleague. Is there something significant about dreaming of old workplaces and colleagues?
Still another dream involved my wife and I having another baby! This child – a little girl – was a toddler in my dream, clinging to me for dear life, as we wandered around an old city centre which I was think was in Europe. My parents were present, suggesting we were on holiday. I can very much assure all you good readers that no, this is not on the cards!
Summer Switches Off
Virtually the instant the calendar moved into September, the heavens opened. It’s like the earth knows that the kids are due back at school, so the typical British weather service resumes. I got caught in some rather cold rain whilst grabbing milk for work, timing my return from the local petrol station rather badly. The following day was no better, with lots of rain again, albeit when the sun was out, it was pleasant.
We like to cling to warm weather in this country, as it can feel fleeting when compared to other parts of the world. Then again, we are quick to moan when it gets too hot, and it’s rare for there to be a happy medium in this country. Mind you, I suppose as a nation we are overlooking how nice the weather can actually be. It’s a national pastime to complain about the weather, and we do it well, but I think that’s because it’s expected of us, rather than because of a genuine reason to, most of the time.
Back to School
It will come as no great surprise that the return to school was as sharp a shock to my daughter’s system as returning to work was for mine. It’s a big year for her, with GCSEs coming up, so it is my duty as her father to shepherd her through a stressful time. What I will say is that it is not the be-all and end-all. I was not an academic master, not by any means, but I survived, I got myself a job, and a life of my own. As a country we place enormous pressure on young people over exam results, when in fact real-life experience ends up counting for more.
Radio Silence
As some of you may know from a previous Muse, I recently applied for a job, had an interview, and was told I’d hear back about a second interview. That was nearly a month ago. I even stuck my head through the door a couple of weeks back, to be assured I was still in the running. Since then, I have heard nothing, in any way, shape or form. This has not endeared me to this prospective workplace. I don’t want to exchange one fraught, stressful job for another, and the lack of communication isn’t filling me with much hope. This is not to say that I will completely rule out a move there (there could be circumstances that I am not aware of, indeed there probably are), but I want stability. So far, I am not encouraged.
A Good Samaritan – and the Strange Reaction
As I was taking my daughter to school on the bus, the bus, as per the norm, stopped to let on passengers. A family of three boarded, but none of their payment methods worked. They were getting a bit agitated, since they were trying to get to school, and the bus driver wasn’t prepared to let them ride for free. I stepped in, and paid for their ticket myself. This wasn’t entirely altruistic; I wanted us to get moving for our own benefit. I was was also aware of how stressful it can be when you’re in that scenario. The family in question was a mother and two kids, and they were all getting anxious.
The bus driver seemed quite perturbed by my offer of help, as though a show of sympathy and empathy was somehow inappropriate. I cannot fathom why my gesture – which got us moving again – was so strangely received. Is this the world we live in now, where a kind act is met with incredulity? The cost to me? £9. That’s it. I do not understand what annoyed the bus driver so much.
We certainly seem to live in an increasingly mad world, where self-serving people are on the rise. It’s not a world I for one wish to embrace.
16 Years
My wife and I have been married for 16 years! To mark the occasion we had an Indian takeaway, on a low-key night (in no small part due to her still recovering from covid). Does my wife absolutely drive me insane sometimes? Yes. Is she my happy place, where I feel most at ease? Also yes.
Cream Crackered
Perhaps it’s the post-covid lethargy speaking, but lately, even a single day back at work has left me exhausted. I have been in no mood to deal with the waves of passers-by, who occupy time through browsing, but offer little in the way of sales. I’ve also wound up doing a few bits and pieces that others have decided, for whatever reason, to leave to me to do, even though they could have easily done these little bits themselves. If I am being brutally honest, I feel like an element of laziness was in play here.
Maybe I’m being harsh. There’s certainly some laziness on my part too. The general lethargy of the past few months is still with me.
A Quiet Cycle
I think, for all the stuff of the past two weeks, my main conclusion is that it’s been pretty quiet. I can’t point to any big excitement. Hopefully the next couple of weeks will offer up more intrigue!
