Pour yourself a cup of ambition

“All right... all right... but apart from better sanitation and medicine and education and irrigation and public health and roads and a freshwater system and baths and public order... what ‘have’ the Romans done for us?”

An infamous quote from what many would consider quite an inappropriate movie today – Monty Python’s Life of Brian. The quote has often been used to symbolise the good that can come from a situation which, in the main, brought more negatives than positives.

I try to think of the positives and COVID-19 has brought a few in its wake. With the 5km zone restriction, people got out and exercised in their own localities.

Another positive is rediscovering our localities

Dr Mark Rowe writes this week about how exercise can help combat anxiety. People are feeling stress in their lives and relationships and psychotherapist Enda Murphy discusses this in his piece “Surviving ‘toxic’ relationships during the COVID-19 crisis”. Coupled with his advice, Dr Mark’s lifestyle changes will also help if needed.

Another positive is rediscovering our localities. An element of our new page “A week in the country” is our “local treasures”. Everyone has a treasure near them that has been overlooked and while you might think it of little interest, someone else might find it fascinating. This week, we are launching a ‘reader writes’ competition to highlight these “local treasures”. Let’s share the wonderful pieces of history and heritage in our backyards for those who are staycationing to discover for themselves.

This podcast goes places I just did not envisage

With my own walking came the need for some listening material. Of the two podcasts I am currently listening to, Dolly Parton’s America gets a mention, as this week’s cover star Mags McCarthy has recorded Dolly’s Light of a Clear Blue Morning. This was recommended to me, which I find is the best way to get into a podcast, and our Anne had lots of recommendations you can search for online. This podcast goes places I just did not envisage. I found her stance on feminism and politics surprising, but the story behind how the podcast came about enthralled me. The father of the man this podcast, Jad Abumrad, befriended Dolly when she was his patient. Jad asked: “How could my father have anything in common with Dolly Parton?”

A movie and a song that came out 40 years ago and, unfortunately, many women can still relate to it

Dolly admits she wrote some “sad ass songs”, influenced by her life growing up “dirt poor” on the side of the Smoky Mountains. Jad’s father, had a similar experience. He too grew up poor, moving to America from Lebanon in the middle of a war, and both had to fight for their success.

I have now reached episode five titled: 9 to 5. A movie and a song that came out 40 years ago and, unfortunately, many women can still relate to it. Think of this line: “Nine to five, yeah they got you where they want you, there’s a better life, and you dream about it, don’t you?”

Even before COVID-19, Karen O’Reilly was not dreaming and she recognised the difficulties encountered by professional women who wanted to stay working and the need for flexibility. She founded her business to support these women fill their “cup of ambition” and it has been going from strength to strength ever since. Employers are adapting to COVID-19 with flexibility and this is a positive shift.