The news that some chappy has won permission to tightrope-walk his way over Niagara Falls has got me thinking. Mostly, why on earth would anyone want to do this? And also, of course, why bother? Most of the women I know are already tippy-toeing across a high wire most of the time. Holding down jobs, running houses, finding homework, washing uniform and cooking – every single day – is no mean feat. Would you like to do some more tightrope-walking, in pursuit of glory or adrenalin? This time with a real vertiginous drop, not just the rupture of family harmony that most of us are seeking to avoid? Nope, thought not.
Possibly this man has a family of his own and he’s finding it difficult to meet everyone’s needs. In which case, it’s absolutely fair enough to run off and dangle from a string above a foaming torrent of water. But somehow, I doubt it. I expect he’s got a Mrs Crazy Adrenalin-Junkie at home, dealing with that side of things.
Maybe it’s just living with teenagers that makes life feel like a teetering journey between impenetrable sulks and door-juddering rows. Or maybe it’s the combination of teenagers, moody mothers and much younger children some of the time that makes life such, er, fun.
Whatever it is, it’s suddenly making Canada sound quite appealing. Where’s my passport?
