Tags
alexander fleming, Cavan, chit chat, coca-cola, do-over, ice-cream cone, Ireland, miscellaneous, photography, picturesque place, random, sleep, tea, thoughts, world fair
I have this friend who lives in a very picturesque place called Cavan. Its about an hour and a half outside of Dublin up towards the north and is very hilly and filled with lakes and houses sitting in isolation, or at least close to it.
A view in Cavan, just outside my friends door
The view behind her house
My friend lives on the top of a hill and has a stunning view of a lake but sadly she works in Dublin. This means a daily travel and long hours on the road, but every now and then she stays in Dublin and bed-hops from friend to friend. Yesterday was my turn and when she showed up after a chit-chat and meal with another of her many friends all she could do was fall into bed and sleep.
As my guest bed is in my tiny study this meant that I was banned from my desk and computer, possibly a good thing as I spend to many hours with them as it is. But as I sat in front of the TV watching reruns of Sex in the City I started to wonder about sleep and how when we wake the next day we get to start all over again. We sleep, reset and then it is do-over time, all our mistakes are in the past and the future holds a whole new set ready for us to make.
So as my friend wandered around in dreamland I made lists in my head of everything that I had done wrong in the past and all the possibilities of mistakes that lie ahead of me. It made me smile to think that mistakes are often what makes life exciting and interesting, like the wrong road you take and the stunning view you find. After all some of the things that changed the world we live in started out as mistakes or at the very least something unplanned.
The road leading up to my friends home
Alexander Fleming forgot about a loaf of bread and when he remembered it he found it covered in a funny looking mold. He decided to take a closer look and by doing so he found something called staphylococci which led to the creation of penicillin. This happened in 1928 and it is still changing the lives of millions.
My favourite brew “tea” is said to have been invented when leaves from a bush accidentally feel into the emperors Shen Nung pot of boiling water. He drank it anyway and loved the flavour, creating my daily beverage and the Ireland’s national drink.
And the next time you are licking an ice-cream cone thank waffle-maker Ernest Hamwi. At the 1904 World Fair the ice cream seller in the booth next to Ernest ran out of plates and bowls so to help out Mr Hamwi rolled up his waffles and voila our summer treat was invented.
Even Coca-Cola was born out of a mistake. In 1886 John Pemberton accidentally added carbonated instead of plain water to a medicine recipe he was concocting and found it to be so yummy he turned it into the worlds favourite soft drink.
So today is a new day filled with possibilities and ways to make mistakes. Hopefully mine will end up changing the world, or maybe just my life. But either way I can’t wait to see what happens next. And as my friend is staying over again I am sure her mistakes will be just as good as mine.
A sign I stumbled upon on a walk around my friends home … not planned but I love
jensinewall 