Philosophy for life
After untold aggro, angst and argy-bargy the Eagle has landed; albeit bumpily and at the very last minute.
18 months of unending bother. Much of which late at night, at weekends or when on family holidays.
The bane of my working life now sits resolved, in plain English, on the brightly lit surface of a website – visible to all.
Done. Dusted. Thank the heavens.
Feeling a bit tired and blue today, I find myself a moment’s respite from what everyone else wants from me – a coffee, an iPhone and a moment to reflect.
This has been a week which felt unsettling at times; change, uncertainty and risk in the air on all fronts. But also a week where I found moments to speak, write, talk and laugh.
Sitting here, there’s an oppressive sense of the potential pointlessness of a lot if it. Tearing around on seemingly big things which may not turn out to be the big things at all. But who can say?
So at the same time as the big things, it’s important to work on the small things.
I just danced an impromptu kitchen Tchaikovsky waltz and Rossini jig with my daughter – me humming, her smiled happily and turning and twirling with me.
The boy for his part, is drawing an intricate space battle scene. And I’ve made Lebanese chicken soup for lunch.
The sun is swinging round to our little garden; at the same time as the spin drier rattles to a conclusion and workmen drill, sand and scrape at our missing front windows.
Life goes on. But at its best is encapsulated this week in a small bar of Cadburys ‘Marvellous Creations.’ One of my laughs this week was about the ‘evil genius’ sister of a woman I work with – she invents ‘Marvellous Creations’ for Cadbury.
It takes an ‘evil genius’ to combine bog standard British milk chocolate with jelly bits, tiny smarties and the killer ingredient – popping candy – or ‘space dust’ as we knew it as kids. Once you’ve tasted it, ordinary chocolate is soooo flat.
Some of the ingredients you can’t do much about. But the secret of cheering up life, is to keep finding and mixing the smarties, jelly bits and space dust into it.
The song says it all. It can sound cheesy; but it ain’t… This week, I got by with a little help from my friends.
The genuine care, interest, support and love of friends has gently and kindly steered me to a much better place. If last week ended in comparative darkness; this one ended in light.
A good friend briefly home from abroad, walked with me, talked with me and in the process put a supportive arm around my shoulders. The world of men can be a lonely place, but together we stared unblinkingly at the facts. And in so doing he gave me solace and strength – and followed up with a new opportunity.
More joyfully, with my great friend from closer to home, we celebrated our mutual success at goading each other to shed a few pounds – with a big fat gourmet cheeseburger each.
Today I’m wearing a sweatshirt the missus bought me for the Xmas before last – which for the first time in all that time, I fit in; trimly and unselfconsciously. Happy days.
Finally the missus herself. She knows I’ve been struggling and has been there for me all week. A kind word, a cuppa, a conversation – and a great big uninterrupted lie-in this morning.
The moral of the story; we all get by far better with a little help from our friends.
Yesterday was a rainy day. And unexpectedly so. Bad start, worse end. Trying to put it in context today (with Bach loud in my ears to block out someone else’s toddler), I googled ‘into every life a little rain must fall’ to find the source…
Watching an older man limping awkwardly in front of me this morning (as I rushed from one kid’s activity to the next) was a reminder there’ll be plenty of years when I’d kill for this life. And those years will one day run out.
I feel better for a hot chocolate, some Bach and some writing. There is no point ‘repining’; behind the clouds the sun is still shining.
What a belting soundtrack! The number one selling US album of the 1960s; one listen and you know why. I’ve just written about ‘America’ on ‘Relevant Complexity’ but there’s any number of toe-tappers here.
Lovely to see my little Miss today tripping the boards among the ‘Jets’, backed by Bernstein’s punchy soundtrack and some great choreography, dance and fight scenes. A performance to remember and a soundtrack well worth rediscovering.
From the first hand clap to the final crescendo, it sets the hairs on the back of your neck tingling…
The hopes, the fears, the inequality and the immigrant’s fight for the right to the American Dream; Leonard Bernstein’s sprawling, madcap ‘America‘ is his home country’s very embodiment.
Having watched my daughter dance her socks off in her own ‘West Side Story’ today, and unable to shake the melody – I had to find the soundtrack.
Having tried half a dozen versions, for me the remastered Original Motion Picture Soundtrack has it best. Wonderful caterwauling and catcalling; and the most rumbustious, towering orchestral accompaniment.
Ballsy, brash and wonderful – just like the country, ‘America’ has it all.
West Side Story Original Soundtrack Recording
Achilles & Aristotle 