As I stand by my washing machine patiently taking all the bits of tissue off my clothes (after accidentally putting a tissue in my wash) I suddenly became aware of what a need there is in our world for patience.

We live in an environment where we are encouraged to change jobs, cities, countries, friends, families; never to be content with what we have but always striving for the next thing. We have Alexa’s to do all our mundane tasks for us, take away food and deliveroo to provide meals we don’t need to cook. And what do we do with all our new found freedom and time- very little of note, just generating a generation of fairly unhealthy and unmotivated people.

Maybe if we were a bit more patient we would be happier and the world would be a healthier, better place. We are becoming so removed from simple life which is becoming so detrimental to happiness and health both of ourselves and the world around us.

If we were more patient in our outlook; to not give up when things get tough but persevere and keep going, to recapture the simple pleasure of darning a sock and growing a plant, to take care with our meals and recycling, to appreciate simple, achievable goals we may lead happier lives and leave the world a better place than the one we were given.

In our modern age of emails and text messages I think that the good old letter is more important than ever. Taking time to think and reflect on an event or the kindness someone has shown you is important.

The art of crafting a letter, editing your attempt, creating paragraphs that hold an argument or a particular point and practising spelling are all skills that we can all benefit from.

And, that’s before you start on the joy of the red van coming down your drive and delivering a stamped letter addressed to you. Ripping open the envelope to discover the treat inside is so special and, for me, means so much more than a quick text.

The resurgence of letters is something we could all benefit from and if they are written on environmentally friendly stationary, so much the better!

I believe, as a country, we are fairly institutionalised. I certainly became so when I lived and worked in London. It is so easy to be a sheep; to follow the heard, to leave the ultimate responsibility with someone else. All that is left for us to do is sit in our office, get paid and then spend our money in a way that pleases us. Obviously, this is a fairly generalised statement and, by all means, not applicable to everyone but, ultimately, who doesn’t want an easy life.

But, where does that leave us? A nation of politicians who have no idea what is going on, a climate crisis, mental health problems and broken families.

At a very young age we are taught right from wrong, taught how to think, praised for what we do, encouraged to follow our own thoughts, beliefs and views. School then, to a large degree, shakes this out of us- we are boxed into being an academic person, a sporty person, a social person…. we become aware of what our peer group do- we adapt ourselves desperate to fit in, at the cost often of our own personality. Life becomes a tick list of things we ought to achieve by a certain age and if we haven’t achieved these, we feel we are somehow failing. 

However, there comes a time when you need to stop, take stock and follow your own judgement- follow what’s right and not wrong. Look on the world not with what you can get out of it but what you can give. My housemistress at School told me to “follow my own judgement and enjoy myself.” I think the two go hand in hand and can do for everyone too. If one keeps one’s self respect, high standards both of yourself and others, motivated by what you do, living with a purpose, then, just maybe, we could live a life of fulfilment, meaning and ultimate happiness.

I’ve spent a lot of my adult life pining to be somewhere I’m not. It is so easy in our modern world, bombarded with social media, to believe that our life isn’t good enough – that if we move somewhere else we may find the job/lifestyle/partner/perfect existance we have always craved.

But, I gradually realised that my life was not radically different wherever I was in the world and what really needed to change was my outlook.

I am not even remotely attempting to state a claim to a persons happiness but certainly, I have found, that if you can find a job you enjoy, a few friends, a few hobbies, a few clothes you like and a roof over your head then the grass is always green wherever you are.