Mum’s the Word

This weeks Above and Beyond medal goes to my Mum. After spending several days with her back in the UK, it is easy to see why everyone in our family has had successes in life.

We listened to her many family anecdotes and some old wives’ tales and one anecdote in particular stuck in my mind. It goes something like this: -

A man feeling completely despondent and ready to just give up on life decides that the only way out is to end it all. His last act of pleasure is to eat a delicious banana and proceeds to take it up a tree with him, intending to eat the banana and then hang himself from the same tree.

After devouring the fruit he tosses the skin nonchalantly towards the ground, satisfied that with his last wish granted, he can die in peace. As he begins to form the crude hangman’s noose he glances down and sees a man run up to the skin, pick it up and ravenously start eating.

He stops in his tracks and looks down at the man in disbelief. After a few minutes he comes to the conclusion that there is at least one person worse off than himself. He climbs down from the tree believing that there is always hope.

My Mum never gave up and at eighty-two next birthday she is still a feisty old bird.