Hello
and Welcome to Your Wise Old Owl!
This is a blog
aimed at advancing and exploring common mid-life’s issues: relationships,
parenting, careers, health and whatever else takes my fancy, or is suggested by
readers. It is also a platform for discussing a variety of topics including
travel, people, politics, cinema, culture and wildlife.
My
name is Yinka Falade, middle aged and with previous careers in Journalism,
Public Service, IT Quality Assurance and Technical Writing. I’m also a
qualified Gas Safe registered domestic gas engineer, a result of an
irresistible itch to take up a new career challenge. Plenty teething problems
at this stage, but I’m resolutely soldiering on.
I
am in quite an interesting time in my life currently – middle age! I’m learning
the virtue of talking less and listening more nowadays; hence, the blog name –
remember the old nursery rhyme ‘The wise old owl’?
I’m also a lot more accepting of who and what I am – gone are the days of
undue worry or reluctance to admit that I didn’t have an answer to a query.
Sometimes too, I see myself as a bundle of contradictions - not easily
perturbed yet worry no end about family matters; and though a lot more
tolerant, I have little time for cant and tripe nowadays.
Although
mindful of biological changes: grey hair sprouting in conspicuous parts of the
body, the extra couple of inches around the waist area and even the dwindling
prowess between the sheets, I no longer lose my sleep over them. It’s all about
accepting change, as the saying goes.
Relations
in my home are themselves a revelation; my wife, our two sons, 21 and 25 this
year, and me. It is fascinating to watch the parent/child relationship taking a
somewhat different shape – the boys are now a lot more confident and assertive
in making choices and expressing their views. I’m also getting used to taking
the back seat and often being the last person to know about things around here.
I don’t really think I’m jealous - maybe just feeling a bit left out sometimes.
Am I the only dad in this situation?
Life
truly is the best teacher! This becomes ever more evocative with age. My past,
especially the beginnings, was one speckled with highs and lows, some lows so
severe that for so long, I’ve ensured they stayed sealed in some deep
compartments of my mind. That is now all in the past and I feel more
comfortable and ready to revisit and confront these dark recesses. More
importantly too, I would like to compare notes with people with similar
experiences through this medium.
I
have very little use for conventional wisdom. My views on parenting, religion,
relationships: marriage, divorce, re-marriage, extra-marital affairs; including
many other life’s matters have all undergone a massive shift. Formerly doctrinal
and very black and white, I’m now a lot less prescriptive and more
understanding and embracing, depending on the circumstance. Is this then a
function of the trajectory my life has taken, or what normally transpires as
one attains this crucial stage in life?
I
am also quite passionate about people, politics, social justice, health, cinema,
cultures, travelling, wildlife and matters of faith.
I
sense this is going to be quite an exciting journey. Once again, welcome aboard
the ride!
