Why the Awesome Turtle

Before I start, I have to explain a bit about me.  I have, until June this year, spent 22 years giving back to my community by helping with Cadets, teaching them simple things, like map-reading and communications,  The "Awesome" bit comes from a time when at camp during a raft building and sailing exercise organised by the Royal Engineers, two of them took guard either side of me holding paddles. "What are you doing?", I asked in a puzzled voice.

"We're guarding you" said one of them out of the side of his mouth.

"Guarding me, why?"

"On account of your awesomeness!"  - Out of the mouths of babes and innocents!

Obviously, I fell about in fits of laughter.  When I recovered, I thought to myself, what do these youngsters see in me?  Why are they so proud of me? What have I done to this small percentage of my town?  How can someone who never served this country by carrying arms in it's defence make these boys and girls respect me?

I sat down, on a pile of wood used for building rafts and tried to think. Just then, one of my cadets came up to me and said, "Excuse me sir," bent down beside me and handed me my walking stick that I had knocked off it's balance point against the pile of wood.

"What is it that I do that you guys respect so much?" I asked this young girl. 

"You're there for us sir, when we need you, you are there.  You care about us."

"But, I'm not fit, I've never served, I've never done anything"

"Oh, you have done something, you've helped us all, through what you say, how you try to make us better people."

Yes, I've saved lives with my instruction, both First Aid and Map Reading.  I hope I've earned the title of "Awesome" but  don't feel like I deserve it.

Now that I have left Cadets, I feel empty in some way, I just hope the 22 years I have given to my town in this small way make me worthy in the eyes of my fellow man.

That's the fun bit over with, now comes the bad news.  I have arthritis, my body is riddled with it, walking is difficult and I am fighting the  Department for Work and Pensions over their decision I am fit for work!  From now on this blog, while having the occasional funny moment provided by my grand-daughters and family, will mainly be about the problems of a range of three letter acronyms like DWP, DLA, PIP and WCA!