Moaning Minnie's daily Rant, Believe in Yourself

My brother was older than me and just perfect, handsome face, thick wavy hair, bright blue eyes,polite and easily disciplined, well -groomed and industrious. He was good at everything, brilliant artist, brilliant at school sang beautifully, girls fancied him, other boys liked him, everyone thought he was a saint.
Then they got me, and I got the left overs. Wispy hair that wouldn't go where my mum wanted it too, average looks, eyes the colour of mud, unremarkable in every way, no dress sense, an inappropriate sense of humour, completely tone deaf, totally unadventurous.
You might think I was jealous, well I wasn't, not at all, I was his number one fan, along with my mum and dad.
You might think my mum and dad didn't like me, or love me, or wish they'd just had him, but no not at all. They loved me just as much, they just didn't know what to do with me. I was sort of in the way.
Mediocre looks, mediocre brain, not really good at anything at all. Along with my pathetic list of talents I also lacked any competitive spirit at all. When I saw how much it meant to the others  I just stood back and let them win, not minding at all, happy to watch the smiles of triumph on their faces.

Until now. It's a bit late though because my youth is long gone and my parents too.

Our lives. like History, are a sequence of haphazard events. We are dealt a hand, some are luckier than others, starting with where and when you are born, the family you are given , the looks you are given, the character you are given. Oh yes, that is all down to luck isn't it?

I didn't introduce myself, my name is Minnie. I forgot to say that there was one thing I was always good at, excelled at, and that was moaning. Mum called me 'Moaning Minnie.'
The brother I was talking about was called Peter, mum called him 'Perfect Peter.'

So there we were Perfect Pete and me, growing up together. Mum and dad concentrated so much on him that they forgot about me. It didn't seem to matter at the time. I was always good for a laugh. I'd come home from school singing Rule Britannia at the top of my voice, out of tune and drawing out the 'Britains neeeeeer..' bit and everyone would be holding their side with laughter.
Perfect Pete was in the choir and we'd go and see him sing in concerts. that was when my unfortunate sense of humour became famous. All that slow, solemn, singing, durgy I would call it, the serious faces and the twangy cellos and i couldn't hold in my giggles. there'd be glances of disapproval all around us.
When things got too serious I always got the giggles
I used to have to think of something really sad to stop myself snorting with laughter. that's much easier now, too many sad things now.

As we grew up it was obvious that Perfect Pete would get the pick of the bunch of all the girls. I panicked when I heard there were more women than men in the world. I felt doomed and when Tom Fawley asked me out I didn't hesitate. there I was just fifteen and he had saved me from a life time of loneliness. It didn't matter that I didn't really like his smell or the way he dressed, or his chain smoking and beer breath, he had saved me.
We went out in foursomes with Pete and his latest beauty, always glossy and glamorous with names like Caroline or Rebecca. Tom would always comment on how gorgeous they were and if he could be so lucky.

I was totally in awe of Tom, my saviour from spinsterhood. I did whatever he told me, from what to eat in the pub, to the subjects to take at school.

That's all for today from Moaning Minnie

See you tomorrow.........................................


Life Lesson number 1, think for yourself, believe in yourself, don't just blindly follow what other people tell you to do, or tell you about yourself. Don't let other people put you down, whoever they are.