I hope it’s forgivable for an old man to settle upon not one but two traits of personality and disposition that he writes the most highly.

The need to settle on to, rather than one only, is because they are inseparable one from the other in terms of the way they manifest themselves. I regard each of them equally highly and think that they underpin the person I am to a significant extent.

The first of these is “Laughing”. I have always laughed a lot and think that laughter and humour are so very important. I don’t mean laughter that is cutting but that is happy and recognising of funny and humorous events. Observation also leads to laughter because funny things create mirth that off and unwinds.

A gentleman by the name of Arnold Glasgow, once wrote “Laughter is a tranquiliser with no side effects “. Yes, laughter is a panacea and a mood lightener. We all need to set aside a totally serious countenance on life.

The second trait which I use and manifest frequently and often spontaneously without realising is “Singing“. I make songs up, I know a lot of songs – or bits of them anyway. I’ll catch myself singing in shops, in the toilet, out in the garden, when I was showering, while driving the car and in all sorts of situations.

So both these characteristics are traits that I value and appreciate – although maybe at times others don’t appreciate them as much as I do!