What letter story will I tell today? A, P & V are done, so that leaves another 23 letters to choose from!
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Queen's Guide presentation. How about the glasses! |
Let's look at Q today. What Q words can you think of? Questions, quotes, qualifications, Queen, the Queen, Queen's Guide, qualities, quality time, Quality Street, quarantine, queue, quilt, quinquennial.
Isn't quinquennial a beautiful word? I found it in the dictionary. I didn't know there was such a word. Apparently it means recurring every five years. The only example I can find is from the Fixed Term Parliamentary Act in the UK that says that there should be a general election every 5 years. Unless of course they call another one in between. Sorry! Off down a rabbit hole. That's what comes of reading the dictionary!
Let's go back to my list and find some relevant stories.
I have lots of qualifications. A teaching certificate, a B.A.(Hons) and a Masters degree (M.Ed). Sad to say that the degrees were about proving that I was capabale of getting them. My grammar school teachers had said I wasn't good enough to go to University. They also said that I shouldn't apply to a London Teacher Training College. However I did ignore the last piece of advice and went to Southlands College in Wimbledon, London. But after leaving college I got it into my head that I needed to prove myself. This was before people talked about being 'enough' but I expect it is the same thing. I did my first degree part time with the Open University and my masters part-time at Warwick University. However I never told the school what I had done so I'm not sure what it proved and to whom.
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Standing on a manhole cover to stop my heels sinking into the grass! |
I also got photography qualifications and creative embroidery qualifications. And at one point took the Mensa exam. And got in!
The day I received the letter telling me I had completed my masters degree my dad asked me when I was going to start my Ph.D. And I took up the challenge and looked into doing a Ph.D in children's literature at Worcester University. And then I came to my senses!
I didn't need to prove myself. I didn't need more qualifications. What I needed was just to be me.
But it's hard when you've always been performance driven. I try now to be a 'being' not a 'doing'!
I expect there are other Q stories but I'll leave you with a quote from Charles Schultz:
'Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia.'
Thanks for joining me today
Bernice
Love the quote you provided and it was totally unexpected so I did laugh. Can't wait to share it.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good one isn't it!
DeleteI love getting little insights into your life - I left Guides when I was 16 and joined the Venture Scouts, so I have my Queen's Scout Award. It's one of my proudest achievements, along with my marriage, my boys and becoming a Paramedic (I still miss doing that!).
ReplyDeleteWell done
Delete