Apocalypse Now

We've spoken about religion before, have we not? I'm sure we have. (So if you're offended by non-church-going, heathen-type people, probably best to turn away now, ok? Cheers) It's not that I don't believe in Heaven. I do, very much. I believe in spiritual afterlife, and guiding angels, and that it's important to be a good person during your time on this Earth. I also believe that we are watched over (for lack of a better term) by a greater force.

But I most certainly do not believe in a "God" who judges us for our misdemeanours, or who decides that if you haven't been baptised, you won't be taken care of once you pass away. Pfft. As if any God worth his salt would allow unbaptised babies to take care of themselves in the afterlife. If there is a God (and I highly doubt it, I reckon instead there's a group of mothers sitting up on a cloud in Heaven, handing out rewards for the people who've behaved and sending the naughty ones to the corner to think about what they did, before letting them come back over for a talking-to and a cuddle), then He or She would care for everybody equally, not according to the church they did or did not attend.

So the idea that the world was coming to an end today was quite amusing to me. Let's just say for a moment that it was a plausible option. That some higher power up in the sky had decreed thousands of years ago, that today our planet would be wiped out, like an art project that had become too messy. Would we be able to do anything about it? Well, no. Would we be able to predict the cause of our untimely deaths? Um, probably not unless you could see the lions heading straight towards you...

My point is, if today had indeed been our last day on Earth, what could you have done about it? Because the fact of the matter is, regardless of acts of God, vengeful apocalyptic horsemen, or an unfortunate accident, every day could very well be your last. Couldn't it? How many times have you had a near miss in the car, or caught your child in the nick of time before they smashed their head on something? How many stories have you heard about people going to the doctor's "just for a check up" and having something sinister found just before it was too late? How many people do you know who have actually beaten serious illnesses they weren't expected to survive? How many people do you know who won't? Every single one of us is potentially living our last day, every day. If today had actually been my last day on this sweet planet, what would I have done?

Hand on my heart, the only thing I would have done today that I didn't do, would be to phone, message, or visit my family and friends to give them my love. (But since, according to my beliefs, we'd all be arriving in the afterlife roughly at the same time, I'd probably catch up with them sooner or later....right?) I said to Christian this morning, that I was in fact having my perfect last day, if there was such a thing. We had our usual Saturday morning breakfast together with the kids, everyone in jarmies and pets milling around. Jack and Phoebe went to their ballet lessons while Maisie had a nap. At lunch time, we cruised into our favourite seaside Main St and ate lunch outside a cafe, with Archie at my feet. Part of Archie's puppy school homework was to visit a busy cafe and learn how to sit quietly. Homework which means I need to go to a cafe?? I'm in!!

After lunch, we walked the length of Main St allowing Archie's growing legion of fans to pat and admire him along the way. (Did I mention he shredded a pillow in the back yard last night? It was all I had left to put in his kennel after he got the runs on several blankets and towels...so I wasn't actually cross with him this morning when the garden looked like a white Christmas. It was fairly predictable with a border collie and a pillow. It just took a while to pick it all up!!) The kids had a run at the playground in the sunshine while I walked the Mouse and Archie around the park, inhaling the salty breeze and enjoying the unseasonable day. We took a quick stop at a pet emporium to grab new toys for Archibald, before coming home.

And here is the most magical part of the day: we ALL played in the garden together for about an hour. You heard me. Jack, Phoebalina, the Mouse (running, squealing, stumbling and squealing some more), Christian, me, Archie, Daisy and the cats. We have never done this before simply because of the whole new-puppy-eating-babies-faces-and-the-cats thing. I swear, Archie stayed next to me the whole time. He would only go for the ball if I did; never once jumped up on the kids; and behaved impeccably. I couldn't believe it either!!! I will admit there have been times lately, when I have wondered if this would ever happen. Having such little kids, an older dog, a jumpy licky puppy, and two cats, it's a tricky concoction to have in a small back yard. And yet, today, in the delicious sunshine, we had an hour of playing nice. Seriously, I coulnd't have asked for anything more.

After Christian and I had a cuppa outside on the grass with the kids, we ran an early bath, ate an early tea, and put the big kids to bed. The Mouse played with Daddy while I walked the dogs around the block, and now they're all asleep. Now, I'm not saying I want the world to end today. I'm rather looking forward to the rest of my life, thank you very much. What I mean is, if I had dropped dead tonight of, I dunno, something, you can be assured I had a ripper of a last day. Now, if the Bombers could have a win tonight, and if I could find some forgotten chocolate at the back of the pantry to go with my cuppa, this day could be damn near perfect...