The road to somewhere

 

 

Politics is a funny old game.  Parties trade on promises in order to get elected - manifestoes they call them.  Those of us who vote usually decide where to put our cross based on who we believe the most.  Or, importantly, who we want to believe.  For me, that's how politics works.  There are no guarantees.  Only promises which turn in to negotiations and compromises.

 

Our relationship to the outcome of the election and our hopes for the future are tied up in that cross. Many think it's one of the most important functions we perform as adults.  Our mandate for influencing the very society in which we live.

 

Scotland's electorate is poised to exert perhaps the biggest political influence ever seen in our country in some 300 years.  There's a lot at stake.  Much more than a term in government, with the option to change in 4 or 5 years. 

 

It certainly feels like the biggest political decision I will ever make.  And it seems many of my fellow voters feel the same.  It's almost palpable.  My head is spinning with all I'm expected to believe, consider and understand before I decide which type of country I want to live in.  Of course, there is no political universal truth.   Although I've heard compelling and passionate arguments on both sides, in the end, my decision is borne of the fact I want to remain in the United Kingdom.  I believe we can be better together.  Different better but still together better.

 

Over the last few weeks, debate has been at fever pitch.  I stopped listening to the politicians weeks ago and have thoroughly enjoyed reading blogs and articles from ordinary people, some of whom write for a living and have a grounding in politics or economics, but some of whom are not that different from me.   However,  some of what I have read and seen has disheartened me.  I've been indirectly called stupid and selfish for not supporting a particular view.  Many campaigners seem to believe they have cornered the market in their wish for an improved society and that their vote is a 'no brainer'.  How can this be true?  That's the thing.  I believe that many of us who sit on opposite sides of the fence want pretty much the same things.  We just have different ideas about how some of it can best be achieved.  Wasn't it ever thus in the business of shaping society?

 

One thing that has really lifted my spirits has been the level of engagement of the Scottish people.  With over 90% of eligible voters registered to take part, the turnout looks to be unprecedented.  The country is awash with people who are all at once interested in how the country is run.   It is wonderful and exciting.  Referendum decision aside, if this marks a new, dynamic engagement in the political process, it's a win for all of Scotland.

 

So, let the people decide.  If Scotland wants independence, I'll be disappointed and nervous, but   I believe in democracy.  I believe in the voice and the will of the people.  All people - even if their voice is different from mine.

 

We don't know where we're going, but, when the dust settles, I'll take my place on the road with my fellow travellers.  The road to somewhere.

Blink and you'll miss it

 

 

 

Someone I follow on Twitter posted a beautiful short film today. It's called 'tidy' and shows him tidying up the debris from his toddler having fun.  All the toys go in a box, the phone goes back on the hook, the furniture is straightened. And, lastly,  his discarded shoes are picked up, ready to be put away.  I won't spoil the ending, watch it for yourself.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgDMe3y4Ij8

 

 

This reminded me of my own tearaway toddler and I was transported  back to the constant picking up of discarded stuff.  What seemed like the remnants of mess I now realise were the remnants of fun. The remnants of learning. The remnants of a life being lived happily. 

As I got into my car this evening I remembered I have kept one of those remnants and I look at it every day.  My 23 year old daughter's toddler shoe hangs from my rear view mirror and it constantly makes me smile . 

I can hardly believe it once fitted her. It hangs above, in all it's glory - Isn't it cute.

When she got her own car a few years ago I beamed with delight as she asked for the partner shoe, which now hangs from her own rear view mirror.  

Cherish the time you spend with your children.  Blink and you'll miss it... 

Keeping my spirits high

My day felt tough today. At least it did as the clock ticked by.  I'm plate spinning at work and am easily distracted so I find sharing an office difficult at times. 

One of my office chums - a big man's man as it happens - but very perceptive, gave me a free hug this afternoon.  And it lasted for more than 6 seconds.  The time taken to establish genuineness apparently.  He instantly made me feel better. 

And I'm developing a bit of a crush on Jackson Browne.  Where has he been all my life?  I'm listening to him continually on my long commute and he makes me feel calm and grateful.  

My favourite song at the moment contains a great line, I wish I'd written 

"Let the music keep our spirits high" 

Here's the link

Before the deluge

As my day draws to a close I've regained my perspective and know that, after a good night's sleep, tomorrow will be a better day. 

What would we do without music.  And hugs. 

Thank you Jackson for making my todayoutof10 an 8.2 x

A blip in my blogjourney

One of the things I wanted to be when I grew up was a journalist.  I have loved reading, thinking and writing for as long as I can remember.  I even got a conditional offer to study journalism at Napier University in Edinburgh, the only place offering such a course in my school days.  Unfortunately - or fortunately - I didn't make the grade academically and went on to follow other pursuits.  A love of reading, thinking and writing however, has always been a big part of who I am.

When I became aware I could read stuff, think about stuff and write about stuff online, my world became much more exciting as I realised it was just like being a real writer. 

So, my todayoutof10 online life was born.  Unfortunately, my love of procrastinating has meant the reading and thinking hasn't translated into writing as often as I would like. 

And then I found Blipfoto.  This online platform, with the brilliant strapline - save your life - encourages us to post a picture every day, with or without accompanying words.  Developed by a guy who wanted to keep an online photo diary and was inundated by people asking if they could do it to, it was just the motivation I needed to post regularly.  It's a wonderfully positive haven for  photographers and diarists alike.  My pictures are pretty lame but it's enabled me to start seeing my life with fresh eyes, ever looking for a picture to accompany something worthy of writing about each day. It's the perfect place for me to record my todayoutof10 positive thoughts. I've been blipping faithfully since Dec 31 and plan to keep it up for 365 days. 

I hope this new found discipline will enable me to blog here more often.  I certainly have enough to say.

If you haven't seen Blipfoto before, check it out. 

http://www.blipfoto.com/todayoutof10

A voyage into the unknown..

I recently spent a lovely afternoon in a local independent cinema, in the company of Professor Stephen Hawking.  Him on screen and me in the audience. He is an intellectual giant and has been partly responsible for bringing the universe ever closer to lay people like me.  His book, A Brief History of Time, has sold a staggering 10 million copies.  On watching his autobiographical documentary, something struck me.  We were all too often reminded of the limitations of Professor Hawking's body, but never his mind or his spirit. Diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease at 21 and told he would likely live only a few more years, he went on to achieve true greatness in his field and still goes to work every day.  At 71, he enjoys nothing more than supervising the next generation of cosmologists, who carry on his work, hoping to find the answers to some of our biggest questions.  But what are the questions?

  

India's recent entry into the space programme is interesting.  There are convincing arguments for science and progress but I wonder how we feel about a country who receive international aid and spend money on space travel, when a huge percentage of their population have neither electricity nor a private toilet.  But wouldn't a country, poverty stricken or not, be doomed if it couldn't aspire to be part of humankind's journey of exploration?

 

Hawking has obviously tapped in to something - our fascination with space. Is it space we want to explore, or is space a means to an end? 

 

As we reach ever further into the cosmos, to boldy go where no-one else has been, I wonder what is at the heart of our search? Even Professor Hawking, revered by millions and never short of adoring fans hanging on his every word, admits to being lonely. 

 

And then I happened upon this wonderful story.  The story of the Voyager space project and the Golden Record.  I believe our search - individually and as a highly evolved people - is to connect with fellow travellers.  Nothing more and nothing less.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV3UI8x5NTk

 



 

 

From John Curry to Lou Reed - happy International Cassette Store Day.

The very first International Cassette Store Day has just been celebrated in Europe and the USA.  Some might see it as a cunning way to sell more music. And they'd probably be right.  But, for me, it's been a chance to reflect on how cassettes made a significant impact on my life and my happiness.  

My 10 year old self was in love with John Curry.  Curry was a figure skater. Not just any figure skater but arguably the finest that the United Kingdom has ever produced.  He was desperate to be a dancer but this was frowned upon by his father.  He took up figure skating instead.  Using choreography from his beloved dancing, he turned the ice skating world on its head with a new grace and beauty that, added to the usual athleticism, was quite breathtaking to behold. He won gold at the 1976 Innsbruck Winter Olympics, with a routine that was as popular and memorable, at the time, as Torville and Dean's Bolero.  I remember being allowed to stay up late to watch his gold medal winning performance and being mesmerised.  

Of course, now we would record the performance on our digital TV service and be able to rewind, watch in slow motion or see the performance when and how we chose.  Back then, the technology for recording moving pictures didn't even exist.  Well, not commercially anyway.  So I had to make do with just the music, recorded off the telly onto cassette, with my family sitting in complete silence in case they spoiled the one chance I had. 

 

It's great that technology probably means we don't have to work so hard to experience things over and over.  But I think we may have lost something very special in the process.  Without pictures to accompany my music, I had to commit John Curry's faultless, graceful routine to memory.  I used to listen in bed, every night, the music conjuring up every last medal winning twist and turn.  Our children are unlikely to have that experience but I wouldn't have missed it for the world.  It still makes me smile and makes me feel 10 again.

Here he is, in all his majestic glory.           

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z79TMsYRnEc

Fast forward 9 years and the boy I'm dating presents me with a mix tape.  As you do when you're trying to connect with someone.  And to impress them, I guess.  It was a compilation of his favourite songs from his musical hero, Lou Reed.  He'd titled the A side - "the rough getting smooth" and the B side - "the smooth getting smoother" with the track listing, squeezed, in his best handwriting, on the inner sleeve.  

It worked. I married him.  

Here's the exceptionally smooth Lou Reed, from side B of my mixtape.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD-ZFQ8_TLc

Happy International Cassette Store Day.  If, like me, you're old enough to remember the part they played in your life, I hope you too smile at the memories. 

It's not just cricket

6 years ago I moved into a flat that overlooked the local cricket club.  Having always been a sports fan, I watched with interest from my window, hoping to see some interesting games of cricket.  It turned out to be much more than that.  

I love how a view can come to represent one's take on the world.  I've found it a way to feel grounded, balanced and to belong, I think. I now look forward to opening my blinds in the morning and watching the seasons unfold on the beautiful and lovingly maintained green.  The groundsman is so happy at work he has often started by 07.30 in the morning.  It seems an honest and rewarding job and I'm sure it's as wonderful to do as it is to watch.  Word is, our ground is one of the best in the league and I like that his hard work doesn't go unnoticed.

It's easy to see why I fell in love with this view.  Let me explain why I fell in love with the club. 

Ofcourse, all sports clubs worth their salt will do what they can to encourage young participation. I'm sure this happens the length and breadth of the country, but every Wednesday night during the season, some 50 or so kids are introduced to the wonder of cricket, team sports, giving of their best and having fun.

You would think that waiting your turn to bat or bowl would be a drag but these kids jump up and down, do cartwheels and shriek with excitement  as they wait in line.  I work with children and I'm a parent so I recognise what's happening when these keen as mustard kids place themselves in the care of the club's players and coaches - pure unbridled happiness.

And that's before I've even watched any serious cricket.  The other week I invited chums to watch the first XI, whilst picnicking and enjoying the sun. Forgive the pun, but they were bowled over.  "I wish I'd know about this years ago" was the unified reply when I asked if they had enjoyed their day.

Gosh, aren't the Ashes and test cricket exciting, but there is much to recommend local cricket.  Indeed, there is much to recommend local sport of any kind.  Just the other night, I looked out of my window to see 50 or so kids throwing and catching with glee, two old athletes jogging around the perimeter, someone walking their dog, the first XI practising at the nets and a local band making their way to the clubhouse for a rehearsal.  It's not just about the cricket. I believe this club is the beating heart of my community and I feel extremely lucky to be part of it.  

If you're lucky enough to have a club like this on your doorstep - cricket or not - take my advice.  Nurture it, support it, spend your money on it.  I promise it will make you and your community very happy indeed. 

I have come to love cricket.  Simple and yet complicated, beautiful, graceful and full of tradition.  Just what a sport should be.

Cricket even has it's own band, whose complete repertoire is devoted to the love of the beautiful game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WHQpg_3ZS4