Feel Good Things

Feel Good Things ©

By

Michael Casey

I’ve just seen the film Glee 2 on tv, it made me laugh, in fact some of it was so funny I was saying “classic” as I watched I. There are many films that give us the feel good factor. You can pick your own, such as The Thomas Crown Affair, the 1968 version is just one of my favourite films, and the music The Windmills of Your Mind is my favourite song. You would have no doubt have guessed that already if you’ve read any of my 1300 plus short pieces.

So what gives us those feel good moments? A kiss from your mum when you scrapped your knee. Making up with your sister or brother, realising they really are the “best”. A letter from a loved one, lost long  and now found at the bottom of a trunk when you are tidying up. Old photos discovered in an attic. A collection of contraceptives you never used, because you never could get a girlfriend.

Or because she said nothing could ever come between you, so you had 12 children, but you were both so happy. Now aged 88, you were all alone, apart from the 10 children and 20 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren. She had kept the unopened contraceptives at the bottom on her sewing box, because your love had stitched you together. So never never never would she use those things. Now she had died in your arms a smile on her lips. Feel good things.

A meal even a post funeral meal is a feel good moment, because the food is great, and the memories shared are even better. I can remember the food after my mum’s funeral, it was laid out on the snooker table in the Irish club opposite the undertakers. All the colours of my mother’s life were laughed about and shared, how she had played the game of family life with all the events rolling over the baize green of life. She had loved us so much and worked so very hard.

My dad nearly died maybe of a broken heart just 8 weeks later, its in Padre Pio and Me by Michael Casey, you can find it on the Internet. Now nearly 16 years ago I can remember my dad’s own funeral, the food spread again over the baize of the snooker table. This time I held a daughter in my arms. My dad had found me a wife and a new job and then after eating his breakfast and asking for a 2^nd egg he left us. As the calendar has almost reached the anniversary the events spring to mind but its a feel good memory for me. I remember my aunty saying just how pleased my mum, her sister would have been to see me married and holding a baby in my arms. I can remember telling John Lennon to eat up and have some of the loads of food that were available. John Lennon was the name of one of our lodgers, he was Mrs Moylan’s lodger but he moved to us when they moved house. Mrs Moylan had said to mum “I see you’ve got the Beatle”. John Lennon lived with us for a few years, then he died in his room, in Birmingham.

These memories, these stories are the things that have made up my life. A life of stories, listening to my dad and then reading stories by the yard and then watching films in their 1000s. Happy memories, fond memories. It’s our memories which last the longest. They are things we should treasure. When you visit old friends its the stories  that make the day.

It’s not Gloria’s great cooking, and she is such a great cook. Or Boris’ dynamite vodka that his Ukrainian family always bring home. Its the love between us, between Ukraine and Poland and even Russia that unite. Sure we say each other is rubbish, but that’s because we can, because we are family, we are friends.

The stories we share make us feel happy even if Boris burns the food. Its the laughter, like when Lech went out in the snow to pooh when you were all out hunting and were in the tent for the night. Only his bum got frostbite, but he had left the tent in the dark and fell over after he’s dropped his pants. Then none of you wanted to waste vodka to rub on his bum to defrost it. Georgie just sprinkled a bit, like a priest blessing his frost bitten bum. Only Georgie loved to smoke Cuba cigars, and while he was “blessing” Lech’s frost bitten bum Georgie managed to drop his cigar and set fire to Lech’s bum.

Poland, Ukraine and Russia united to grab him and dunk him in the snow to extinguish the flames. Lech was allowed a full bottle of vodka to himself as apology. But really the Polish,Ukrainian and Russian cousins laughing so much they could not drink for at least 10 minutes. You can imagine this is a memory that’ll last a lifetime as will the scorch marks on Lech’s bum. Thankfully they had brought 12 bottles of vodka for their weekend hunting trip. They did bring 40 cans of Stella Artois too, just for variety.

Laughter is the best memory we have, so please please please remember that,and when you are old share those laughs. I do have a scar on my own bum, yes really, but that’s another story from 50 years ago. But if you ask my sister she’ll tell you all about it, price, one bottle of Russian , one bottle of Polish and one bottle of Ukrainian vodka. We can give it to the priest to bribe him to make shorter sermons.