I once saw a UFO. I'm telling you.

I come from a family where everyone likes to ponder, philosophise and overanalyse most things and situations. Being incredibly, overly self-reflective has its benefits; but more often it is tiresome and quite egotistic. Hence, I won't be analysing stuff too much here, this time.

So, here's a blog post about things (better - random memories) that strangely stick in your mind for no apparent reason (but I'm sure I could figure it out, if I wanted to prove that I know everything and reveal my secret life as an amateur psychologist).

1. Once when I was a kid and my dad was driving us somewhere in the city I freaked out because I thought he might accidentally hit a pigeon. To which my dad responded: 'Have you ever seen a pigeon hit by a car?' This really calmed me down - I hadn't, indeed, seen a pigeon hit by a car. I continued to live my life in blissful ignorance and all was well...until the day I saw a pigeon on the road, flattened into a crispy disk of sundried flesh and feathers. City life happened to it. And these are the defining moments in a child's life when s/he learns that parents aren't always right. I'm still waiting for the right moment to remind my dad what he once said and what is the 'harsh reality'.

Here's a slightly irrelevant, illustrative photo of a dead pigeon I once had an honour to take:

Right, moving on.

2. My sister once told me she'd seen a UFO, and this had such an effect on me that I became conviced that it was me it had happened to and unconsciously usurped her 'memory', for a period of time retelling it as my own. But, if I remember correctly, I also added stylistic elements of a Zeppelin to my descriptions of this aircraft; at least, that's how I remember it.

3. You do not want to be the last one in the procession of kids riding bikes through the 'Hanging Hill'. Fuck that. I still wouldn't go there on my own. If I've learnt anything in my adult years it is - don't be arrogant in your 'rationality' - weird* stuff happens; and in the movies the 'rational' character dies first.

4. Once in primary school a boy in my class told everyone about this man who was walking down the stairs and poking his nose, and when he tripped he poked his eye out through his nose (poppycock). It fundamentally changed my world view (possible pun...?) at the time. As a child who possibly might have done it from time to time, I realised that the world was not always a safe place.


This will probably need to be updated and reviewed at some point later. Although, I think you got the gist.

I bid you adieu.

Mara

*To keep it simple.