Mad Hatters Day – it was made for me….

“The Mad Hatter: Have I gone Mad?
Alice: I’m afraid so. You’re entirely bonkers. But I’ll tell you a secret. All the best people are.” ― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Not everything matters to me. In fact a catch phase I have adopted for a few years now is “Amazingly enough I don’t give a S@&t”. Catch phases are not just for TV no I preach you need to have at least 2 or 3 of your own. Danny Wallace also write about personal catchphrases in one of his hilarious books, which I recommend and seeing as I can’t remember it’s name – just read all of them they will make you laugh out loud.

The reason I have catchphrases us not because I am so up myself I can’t see the sun, no, it’s because I am a little nutty and often forget to see the ‘best that life is giving me and taking responsibility for living it’.

I will explain as being 51 does not make me any clearer I know. A catchphrase such as “I don’t need to do anything I don’t want to” or “I rule here” (best done with a hand gesture across a wide expanse/room for best effect) are phases that are not literal but a push to the inner me to take a good look at a situation and see it for what it is! So “amazingly enough is I don’t give a S£&t” reminds me to only take notice of the real stuff, the people stuff and stop focussing on little things that don’t matter! The “I don’t need to do anything I don’t want to do” means I am in control of what I do, and I know that even if I really don’t want to do something it is just the ‘right’ thing to do. In other words will do it with free will and if I try hard on these things good grace. Although if its really hard as I struggle with both when its really a hard thing to do.

The ” I rule here”, said with those I work with and do life with means exactly the opposite and my team, friends and family know that! As Son Number 2 remarked when I said it “yes Mum everywhere the light touches yer?” a Lion King quote apparently – he is a smart, sarcastic boy at times. This catchphrase reminds me that I don’t rule anyone or anything outside of my brain. Other people can be encouraged, supported even challenged by me but ruling is left for God and Queens. In short – it reminds me to get some perspective and give others a break and don’t feel responsible for others either.

So today the awesome Team that lets me say my catchphrases shared a cake or 3 in the aid of charity. I also got to name the theme being it was my birthday (AND ‘I rule’ of course). We all wore hats as I love them! we all looked mad and had fun (as I love that too). A colleague visited me from another office and said he had to smile when he walked in and saw everyone with a hat on (which meant our job was done – a smile and a donation to the charity from him too!).

Having a serious conversation about serious stuff with hats on does not make it less serious but it does change the pattern of how we do things. Which means we can think differently as we often feel different. We experience different emotions, some we thought lost forever like being contentment in the moment or just life is not all bad. The Team have a pretty difficult and stressful job so getting some balance can’t be bad.

I am not saying it was a life changing experience but it made people smile, it changed how we did things (if only for a while), it showed the creatively, generosity and thoughtfulness of Lady J who made her own Mad Hatters Hat and my birthday hat. It showed us Lord R and his fur hat he made while serving in the army when he had to live off the wild. Killing and eating to survive, using the furs to make a hat, good and bad memories blended together for him. It showed people were willing to laugh at themselves just for a while and just like my catchphrases remind themselves life is for living and smiling is optional but worth it…….