Patrick Martin
2 min readFeb 4, 2023

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Ok, since the call went out.

Growing up in the UK in the 80s, I don't recall any anxiety about weight and sugar and being muscular or ... whatever ... At my grammar school, we were generally lean, a bit spotty and fit due to the endless lunchtime football match. This thing called "AIDS" was looming in the government adverts, but we were a bit clueless.
Perhaps blissfully innocent? I didn't even have my own radio for years.
The chocolate was good of course, and thanks to the effects of food price inflation, I think any C21 time travellers would be gobsmacked at the sheer size of some chocolate bars. One, and you were categorically done!
Occasionally I would grab one to munch on the walk home. Did I worry? No, I seem to recall mainly fretting about whether flares were "out" now, as this years' school uniform trousers had been bought were flares.
Reader: flares were so out that year.

It could be the sepia tint of recall, but I don't recall great anxieties, just the delicious summer feeling of being a bit bored, but on a sunny day with a bicycle and some friends down the road.

I'm pretty sure I was one of the more oblivious kids, being too preoccupied with enjoying the lessons and hovering up good grades, but I don't think many others had those kinds of issues.

I look at those days and my teen daughter's life now and can barely recognise the same country in some ways. I hope she can avoid getting sucked into all the needless worrying and anxiety that seems to be offered on silver platter everywhere you look it seems.

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Patrick Martin
Patrick Martin

Written by Patrick Martin

Person. blah blah about me ... WAIT CLIMATE CANCER WE CAN BEAT IT PEOPLE ... all opinions my own

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