Relax, take it easy, be risky with your jokes

Mothers know. That babies in their stomachs listen and learn and feel and share, even before the stork plucks them by the wrist and drops them under the cabbage patch (most people don't have cabbage patches, the Australian equivalent, is beside the garbage/recycling bins - but in that case, be sure to watch recurrently to avoid the baby being taken by the council contractors).

The (presently) modern world - at least in the Western sphere, is a swirl of contradictions. But the parents are well advised to select their course and try to be as knowledgeable of alternatives as they can, but still stick to the chartered course.

What does that mean in practise? Well, good you ask.

In this chapter, it means

• Relax. The kid knows your anxiety level. It isn't good for anyone. Train yourself. Give up bad habits which encourage anxiety in yourself, and don't move anxiety from yourself to the baby piglet;
• Take it easy. Same thing, but it means adapt to the new burdens of child rearing and living and loving by giving yourself time. Take it from other things. Put the phone down so you don't play with apps. Keep the bedroom clear of electronic appliances (well, except those you may wish to have which themselves reduce tension). Don't follow modern politics with too much seriousness, it is a farce and should be taken in 2 and a 1/2 hour blocks once a week - to laugh at. Don't be lazy and try to keep the budget balanced and reduction of debt a priority - not buying consumer goods which increase the burden;
• Be risky with your jokes. There used to be a time when being rude in a joke and laughing at something which was a bit pointed and sharp, was what made the joke better. That hasn't changed. Just our attitudes. An example is the South American habit of giving kids nick names which relate to their physical or mental attributes. No holds barred. The Gymp. Sharp Charlie. etc. Now you will have to exercise some discretion in that regard, but don't ditch the baby with the bathwater.

So there it is. Take that on board, whether you are having a baby or raising a pig child.  Put on Double JJ on the internet radio, listen to the old classics, kick back, and bathe for long periods in warm water.

Oh, and be loving to those around you. The more you intend it for their benefit, the paradoxical reality that it will be more for your benefit. 

Shed light in the dark corners of forgotten unsympathetic treatment of others, reassess your standpoint, and what is important (that is, to relax, take it easy), and move on, forward and if the terrain so dictates, upward.

For example, this kind gentlemen cooked us dinner at his home in Wilmot (Tas). Did we call him "Shorty" when he pulled out the little bench seat to stand on in order to cook on top of the microwave oven? Yes.

Follow the sun:

Some people live in hot places. This bit might not apply to them as much as it does to people living in cool temperate climates. But then again, perhaps it does. Because there may well be an analogy there and not just a simple direction.

The sun is the centre of our solar system. You knew that. But it keeps the atmosphere of our planet in satisfactory state for us to live. Over hundreds of thousands of years, we have become aclimatised to this. Now we should simply accept that reality, and kick back, and enjoy the sun warming our zone.  As the sun moves viz a viz the earth, and hence your windows and building, change your position. Put the sun on your back. If you don't have to read, put it on your face (not in that way - naughty!). Put it on your partially try washing - on the couch, which if you reflect, is normally and more often than not, the repository of clothes for their last drying before recycling to your wardrobe and body - again.

Reflect and enjoy that it is free. No bastard is standing between you and the sun clipping the coupon. No advertising agent. No government official. No real estate agent. No legal fees. And one person taking their share of the sun doesn't limit the amount left for other people. The magic pudding of the sun. Plus, so far, it seems certain. It comes up every day. Everywhere.