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Thank God I’m a Country boy

Posted On: 2016-02-22 14:55:09

I have read that Boxing Day originated as the day when thanks & gifts were given to those who worked on Christmas Day to make it pleasurable for employers & families.

It was the day ‘in lieu’ for servants when a bonus or a present, which was concealed in a box, was freely given as an appreciation for work well done.

How times have changed.

What was once personal & pleasurable has evolved into the compulsion of the Boxing Day Sales.

On the 26th the gift vouchers were ready for conversion to a choice product.

The advertising pressure was so strong & the mall was only a short car ride away.

So we did what everyone else in the city tried to do – find a car park & join the crowd.

It was the people that took most of my attention.

I sat for a while on a centre seat between two endless streams of walkers.

Like traffic on a motorway they moved at a common, constant speed.

Occasionally, for no apparent reason, the speed would increase with everyone walking at the new speed.

Then the progress of flow would decrease back to the accepted norm.

There were no gaps in flow. No obvious destination.

The shops near me were open. Inviting. The price reductions obvious & forcefully coloured.

But no-one seemed to break free to enter them. The centre stall near me was offering pillows, saucepans & a weight reducing jiggle machine.

It attracted some enquiry but made no sales.

There was a uniformity about the people. No-one was thin. All were well fed or overweight. All wearing dark or dull clothing. No bright colours.

Occasionally there would be an elderly woman pushing a wheelchair or a young couple careless in their pleasure with each other’s company.

But the joy of yesterday was well gone.

What was scary were the faces.

No animation. No pleasure. No emotion. No talking to each other, No greetings.

No smiles. No laughter.

Happiness was absent.

No noise but the trudge of multiple feet moving in a compulsive advance for cheap stuff.

A seemingly irresistible force to acquire their share. A drive to avoid missing out.

The sight & sound of those compressed people was an oppression to me.

It made me appreciate living in the country.

I know that a greeting, a wave of the hand or even a finger flick on the steering wheel is understood & valued.

A smile or laugh adds to the pleasure of the day.

I can stop in the street of a country town to exchange information or concerns without offence.

I belong in that great space between the earth & the sky.

I get energy & life from the heat & light of the sun, the pressure of the wind, or the gentle rain on my face.

Those who accept recycled air, artificial light & mind-dulling sound can have it.

I am glad I live in the country.

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