Tuesday 6 April 2010

Happiness

In the Saturday before the Saturday before last’s paper – look, I’m a slow reader, I’m not ashamed to admit it (to be absolutely honest, I’m still getting through colour supplements dating back to 1991 [and apparently there’s this thing coming called the Internet, have you heard about it?]) - we were given fifteen suggestions for simple steps to happiness.

They ranged from ideas that were impractical but not completely without sense – ‘Next time you want to take a photograph, draw it instead’ (it makes you really see properly and thus, apparently, realise how incredible the world is) – through to the fringes of the psycho-babble world. They then veered briefly into something very like obscenity, before ending up with this, (my favourite) - the frankly mad:

‘Sing a loud song while putting petrol in your car. People will walk past and smile at you.’

No, look, feel free. Yes, I know I was the one that spotted it, but go ahead and give it a whirl. I really, really do not mind if you try it out before me.

Let me know how it goes though.

6 comments:

  1. Would the song need to praise Mother Earth for blessing us with her bounteous harvest of petroleum?

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  2. I would choose Arthur Brown's 'Fire':

    I am the god of hell fire, and I bring you
    Fire, I'll take you to burn
    Fire, I'll take you to learn
    I'll see you burn.


    Sure to raise a smile.

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  3. I whistle loudly and elaborately while filling my tank (diesel) all the time. Usually Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. And if there are any fetching lasses a-passin' by I give them a nod and a wink to boot, by thunder I do.

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  4. Gadjo - have to look in the Soviet Army songbook for that one, I think;
    Gaw - I had been toying with James Taylor's Fire and Rain or Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash, but yours is the inspired choice;
    Brit - v interested to hear what reception you get

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  5. Well I haven't been arrested yet.

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  6. I don't know. All the fetching lasses seem to give me a wide berth when I sing at the petrol pumps, although I once scored with Mattinata while changing the oil.

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