Monday 23 July 2012

Jack and Jill

Jack and Jill went up the hill........

It was the second time around for both of them. Jack had previously attempted a hill with Judy. Jill's previous partner was John. Their previous and latest partnerships were those well known legal contracts known as 'marriage'. In many countries more than 50% of marriages end in divorce, often acrimonious and very costly (financially and emotionally), and yet the majority of those divorced get married again!

So why was it going to be different for Jack and Jill this time around? Well they were both older, wiser and had the benefit of knowing what went wrong with their respective previous marriages. Those previous marital experiences had followed similar patterns. When the honeymoon was over, the partnership developed and enjoyed many pleasurable times as well as some inevitable difficulties and obstacles. If the problems are difficult to solve, many couples give up there and then but that was not the case for Jack, Judy, Jill and John. Instead each couple went down the path of pursuing separate interests, initially unintentionally, for many years, united only by the roof over their heads as well as sharing meals, domestic chores and the basic cost of living. Only when Jack met Jill did the two sets of marital equilibria become unstable.

Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water........

Yet most water collects in the valleys. Jack and Jill had got more than a modicum of brain cells between them so why weren't they aware of this basic physical fact? Were their aspirations unrealistic and could this have been a possible cause of their previous failed relationships?

Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after........

The stories of this event suggest that the water had been collected before the accident so at least part of the aspiration had been achieved. That said, it is highly likely that Jack and Jill were absolutely knackered after climbing the hill and then to be loaded up with a heavy bucket of water, little wonder there was a mishap waiting for them on the way back.

Metaphorically speaking, the 'hill' could be mortgage commitments, children, pressure of work, extended family........life's a bitch! It still doesn't explain why having seen it before, Jack and Jill still persisted in climbing yet another hill. Maybe there was a difference, circumstances had changed and climbing the hill was less of a necessity than in times gone by. They had got enough water stored for their basic needs and so the venture became a shared and enjoyable means of creating a challenge to keep their bodies and minds fit and healthy. In short, they enjoyed climbing the hill because it might be the last hill they would climb.

Anyone who has read my blogs and books will know that I am not inclined to write fiction but like all good invented stories, there is usually a heavy injection of fact!........Happy climbing!! :-)