Love it or leave it.

It’s funny how things get you thinking, I mean I was driving up the hill just an hour or so ago following this guy with an “Australia, love it or leave it” sticker on the window.  To be honest my first thought was ‘who do you think you are, telling me what to do with my LIFE’  (yes I clearly need therapy if I see every car sticker as a personal attack) but then the wheels of the brain started turning…..

When related to a country the sign acts as a ‘in your face’ back us or else campaign asking that you question nothing and happily accept that THIS place is GREAT, it’s all you’ll ever need and so stop your whingeing.  Fair play on one level, nobody likes to hear people harping on about how rubbish this or that is, how the government sucks and how the health system is crazy old-fashioned.  However, on another level it is kind of difficult and a tad unrealistic unless you live in la la land which (quite frankly) some of us do!

My next long and dawdling thought was about how that statement could relate to our bodies. I mean, I don’t see many of us walking around LOVING what we’ve got so I guess we’d better leave it then. But where do you put your unwanted body parts?????  What happens when you don’t like 1/2, 3/4 or even ALL of you???? Surely you are not asking us to leave all that?  What a waste.

So, if I don’t like my nose I can get it fixed provided I have the time, money, health and motivation to put myself through whatever it will take to re-invent it.  If I don’t like my attitude I can go to anger management lessons and if I don’t like my Handbag I can trash it and pick up something sweeter and sexier. Yes, I have come to the conclusion that the ‘like it or piss off’ bumper sticker grates on me because it says so much about our throw away morals, our need for instant gratification and our inability to tolerate, make do or mend. 

To put it frankly it makes me want to stay here and whinge a WHOLE LOT MORE before I knuckle down and try to fix what ails us/ it/ them.

So, what is my advice when we find ourselves stuck in the middle of a situation that we just can’t get out of?   It’s goes something like this……

In my grandmothers day there wasn’t much divorce because it wasn’t practical. Women leaving husbands often had no money, no job, no means of providing shelter for themselves,  lots of children to be responsible for and no real support network.  The term ‘you made your bed now lie in it’  rang loud in the ears of many 1950’s housewife’s (and probably husbands) as they just knuckled down and made the best of it.  That wasn’t to say that life was all suffering, everyone’s situation was different but for many the fact that your husband and you had lost that romantic spark after the 3rd child came along was not that remarkable. Pleasure, excitement and contentment were found amongst friends, in hobbies, through home chores, volunteering and for some paid employment. Life wasn’t ‘perfect’ but it was good, making it work could be fun and working hard had its rewards.

Why can’t we be a bit like that?

Well I think what has happened now is that us gen Xers and Gen Y’s have been brought up in times where you can expect amazing things, you can get new stuff if old stuff breaks, you can fix your hair, teeth and skin, you can leave a bad relationship and expect there to be a safety net to fall into.  I know that this sounds like my granny speaking but we probably do have it too good at times!

And all of that would be sort of OK if it didn’t include very serious  matters of the body.  Fixing teeth doesn’t just mean a brace any more, it may mean veneers, implants, bling and polish.  Skin is lazered, hair is extended and then there’s more. Our boobs are sliced, stuffed and lifted, noses are chiseled and straightened  and stomaches are stapled. SHUT. 

We love you Australialand.

Result = responsibility has LEFT the building.

OK, so back to the sign “if you don’t love it, leave it” and it’s time for a re-think.  I can’t see much happiness in those words, in fact, all I can see is someone on the run, someone looking for Xanadu, for something that only exists in the imagination!  What I would like to see, especially when relating to the body is a sign that says “if you don’t love it, let’s talk”…….

We should never wish to leave our bodies, we should only wish to understand and appreciate them more so why don’t we stop treating them (and our countries) like places where we get a cheap thrill and start making some investments for the long-term.  The only way to fix both of these issues is through communication and the time to talk is NOW.