My column in the Herald Express on Thursday, December 13th, 2012
MY FAVOURITE time for banging out my Herald Express column is the early morning just before the first splinters of light shatter the night-time darkness. But this is written in the mid-afternoon to the sound of Carol King (pictured) singing 'You've Got a Friend' via a BBC download from the Soul Music series. It was a good friend who pointed me in the direction of the wonderful Soul Music programmes and I recommend them to you.
Let me share two things with you. The first is the way in which music touches the soul and Carol King's song takes me to a time that I remember so well. A time of endless sunshine or so it seemed to me. The second is about the joy of friendship. I am, as many readers may know, a firm believer in social cohesion and the simple fact that we are all on this bumpy journey through life together.
Sadly, we too often lose sight of that theme as the spinners of truth dislocate that shared experience and selfishly take too much from the many.
Those who read my curious ramblings regularly will know that things for me have been far from easy recently and the haunting melody of 'You've Got a Friend' plus the distant echo of Carol King's beautiful voice actually makes me feel a little less beleaguered. Simply knowing that I do have friends is huge. I've always believed in networks, of people sharing, supporting and simply looking out for each other. These are good things, in my opinion.
Now about that sharing. One of my joys in life has always been my association with the energy of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award (now known as the DofE) because it offers such a wonderful platform for our young people. But, of course, it is not just the young because older folk provide support and without their help very little would happen. A couple of weeks ago I pitched up at the annual presentation ceremony of DofE award achievers in Torbay. Do you know that you cannot get an award without helping others, working as a team and being able to get through the various parts without giving up. The joy of meeting new people, working together and becoming lifelong friends is so important. Ah yes, you've got a friend!
As we rocket toward Christmas we need to keep an eye on the friend concept because in the maelstrom of celebration it is all too easy to lose sight of the lonely. When I was young, which now almost seems to be in a different time, I belonged to a group of like-minded people who went out to visit the lonely. When one of the old ladies that we used to visit died, the only people at her funeral were the three of us, a nun and an old priest. After the all-too-brief service, the nun handed over a cake that the lady had baked for us. I cried. Not just because the dear lady had died but for the first time I really understood the nature of loneliness.
Torbay and The English Riviera is, as many will agree, a wonderful place to live and is, of course, made up by numerous communities that have merged into a curiously convoluted conurbation.
I happened to be at a well-attended business network event the other day and bumped into a member of the Torbay Development Agency. Mayor Oliver had been speaking at the event and we were both reflecting upon what had been said as we face unprecedented budget cuts. There will be so many casualties as a consequence of the draconian budget reductions. He, my friend from the TDA, quizzically wondered about the fragile local social landscape and how we hold it all together.
Thinking about that it seems to me that unless we share a common identity and hold out a hand to neighbours then we will continue spinning in the damaging economic darkness of these curious times.
So once again Carol King's words 'You've Got a Friend' might mean something more to us as we rocket toward Christmas. So when someone 'calls out your name' perhaps we should all 'come running' and make Torbay a better place.
Keep the smile!
.jpg)
