I’ve wanted a steak dinner for a while now so on Friday Tress and I went to a local joint and I had a wonderful scotch fillet which took away that “I haven’t had real meat for a while now” feeling. Tress had some fish and we both left that place feeling stuffed. But happy.
On Saturday I had wanted to do some gardening but the weather forecast was for a dirty day so I decided to do some house cleaning on the inside instead. Our modest home requires less than a couple of hours to a simple vacuum and wipe down so we got that done, after which we went to the local post office to pick up my new plates for the MX5. We then went for lunch, dropped into the local library and then drove towards the Dandenongs to look at a property in a neighbouring suburb from the mountains. We got back home later in the arvo, I marinated some chicken for the week’s lunches and then we took the little fellow for a walk when the weather cleared up a little. Then later that night we completed the last season of Suits – which means we can no longer binge on the shenanigans of PSL.
It was Father’s Day yesterday and it was good to see the occasion acknowledged and heartily celebrated by so many. We had done Exodus 20 on Thursday night at the Maury’s home as well as at St Alf’s yesterday and the one on parents specifically talked about honouring one’s father and mother – not parents. So the occasion was a great opportunity for the more traditionalists to make a mark. Other than a message on FB and a couple of jokes about them getting me an exotic car for the occasion, it was a non-event for us but we saw how our friends went full tilt for it, which is great to see.
The whole shift where the peripheral has forced the mainstream to talk about little else other than what are ordinarily fringe matters, has been very frustrating. We now find it necessary to explain ourselves or justify our thoughts or behaviour on issues which a vast majority of people find absolutely normal, and without any need to be apologetic about. It feels mindless and totally unreasonable.
Celebrating Father’s Day is just one of those matters. Surely those who think Father’s Day should be replaced with “Parent’s Day” or “Special Person Day” is in a very small minority. It can – if it is to be given any airtime at all – be brought up in a small group in a corner of the country somewhere and politely forgotten (very) soon after, instead of occupying column inches on front pages or prime time airing.
Gender fluidity, genderless ideas, same sex marriage and all such matters really should not have taken up as much attention and should not have cause as much grief as they have. More should just say “enough is enough”.
I really wish I could have celebrated Father’s Day with more chutzpah, and not just because I wished modern day Australia didn’t create this empty space for me.
Ante 