Take a leaf from brave Jilly Cooper's book
JILLY COOPERITES the world over will remember the first time they fell headlong in love with her breathless prose, swashbuckling heroes, boisterous boudoir antics and saucy sense of humour.
Her newspaper columns were a hoot. Her novels are a romp a minute and her manners are impeccable. In nearly 30 years of interviewing people for a living Jilly's remains the only hand-written, captivatingly charming thank-you letter I've ever received.
At 76 Jilly's still grappling with a work schedule that would drive a twentysomething to the brink of collapse. She writes ceaselessly, driven to complete novel after novel to pay for the round-the-clock care needed by her adored husband Leo, 79.
Jilly first met Leo when she was just nine years old and is staunchly determined to keep her husband, who has suffered from Parkinson's disease for the past decade, in the familiar surroundings of their Gloucestershire home where he feels comfortable and soothed. Roundthe-clock care costs a fortune and it falls to Jilly to generate the massive amounts of money required.
Is our heroine down-hearted? No! Does she moan and mither face of yet another racy tome? Does she berate the Government or cruel fate for putting her in such a precarious and pressurised position at an age when she should be reclining on a chaise longue enjoying the fruits of a lifetime of labours? Her admirers will know that, of course, the she moan and mither and complain about having to sit, nose to the grindstone, slogging away at the coal face of yet another racy tome? Does she berate the Government or cruel fate for putting her in such a precarious and pressurised position at an age when she should be reclining on a chaise longue enjoying the fruits of a lifetime of labours? Her admirers will know that, of course, the answer is again "No!"
Says Jilly: "Some people say, 'Gosh, we have to work until we are 70', but I feel lucky that I can." Thereby hangs the secret of achieving true happiness. If you can take something other people consider a blight and burden and turn it into a blessing, you will find the cause for celebration in everything. There's no need to play Polyanna and rush round using life's lemons to make lemonade but borrowing a touch of the redoubtable Jilly Cooper's vim, vigour, loyalty, determination and pleasure in doing her utmost to ease the suffering of her lifelong soulmate couldn't possibly do any of us any harm.