Not being a car driver I spend a lot of time travelling by bus and this means that I spend an equal amount of time waiting for them. Not wanting to be wasteful I use this as a platform to ponder many things; life, the universe and that sort of thing.
I have always had admiration for anyone who writes a blog and I have read many of them. Some blogs are written by friends, some I have stumbled across by randomly surfing the web, but every time I read a blog I find myself wondering if I were to write a blog would anyone actually read it?
Well regardless I have decided to take the plunge and have a go. But why now?
It has been 5 months since my Mam passed away and trying to come to terms with that has been and still is a battle. Lucky as I am to have lots of love and support from my lovely wife, family and friends, I guess I have to be the one to work through this one.
So I'm now travelling down this road, and not a bus in sight. One of the first things I have decided is that I should try out new things, even if it is just once. Now I am not advocating jumping off mountains or flying solo around the world, but just doing something different, however small, to try and make a difference.
So this brings me to A Song, actually I should say a number of songs as I have joined a choir. Stockton Town Choir to be precise.
The choir is a wonderful mix of people from all walks of life. There is a unique blend of ages, backgrounds and abilities, all getting together for the pure enjoyment of singing.
The driving force behind the choir is Mike McGrother, an inspirational character, whose enthusiasm and creativity seems boundless at times. He has such a gift for interaction that you can't help but be drawn in.
So if you fancy giving it a go, we meet every Wednesday at 6:00 pm at the Green Dragon Theatre in Stockton. If you get there a bit earlier you also get a chance to try some delicious food too.
This creativity recently resulted in #SMILE, a spontaneous musical which took place in the middle of Stockton High Street in March. Involving clowns, a brass band, 3 choirs, a hundred school children and 3 wheelie bins it might sound bizarre but I think we managed to put a smile on a lot of people's faces.
I'm sure that I will talk about the choir much more in future.
As the choir is something I do solo, I wanted to do something with Kay (my
wife) and this brings me to A Dance, as we have started to take ballroom dance lessons.
It's actually ballroom and Latin; the Latin was a bit of a surprise as I wasn't expecting it. There are about 7 couples in the group ranging from absolute beginners to a little more experienced.
We have attempted, and I use that word advisedly, the Waltz, the Foxtrot, the Quickstep and the Cha Cha Cha all to varying degrees of success, but with much enthusiasm and laughter. Who knows we may even get to a ball.
So to the earlier question "is it making a difference?"
Firstly, I am meeting some really lovely people, some of which are fast becoming friends.
I now find myself looking forward to Wednesdays (choir) and Thursdays (dancing).
But I think the biggest impact is that I am starting to feel better about life in general. I am sure that this is down to all the positive energy that is being generated around me.
I am in no doubt that this road is going to be a long one but I think the start of the journey hasn't been too bad.
And so to the Girl with the Red Hair, the person I first stood next to at choir, who is such a positive person. It was reading her blog http://foundmysmile.blogspot.co.uk and it's her encouragement that has got me writing, so thanks Kirsty.
Well I guess that's probably quite enough from me for now, but I will write again.
Be seeing you
