Opportunities Knock

The fact that I started with a pun that probably only 70s kids will fully understand gives you an idea that I have gone a fair way through the ageing process! It’s fair to say that I am not a fan of many aspects, but I am becoming somewhat more accepting of things I don’t like. What I have had trouble with is embracing the more positive side of things. I am definitely a glass half empty person. However, this prompt has made me think. What do I truly appreciate now that I didn’t before?

All of the events above took place in the last 12 months. I saw Iron Maiden and Taylor Swift at huge concerts. I won a competition for my wife who is a massive Annie Lennox fan to see her at the Royal Albert Hall and have access to the soundcheck. My wife, my youngest daughter and I went to Australia for Christmas and the New Year and celebrated my cousin’s 80th birthday. Finally, I met my first crush, Julie Dawn Cole, for the first time and she was just as lovely as I imagined she would be.

Did I do these things before? Yes, I did, so what’s changed? I suppose it’s the value that I put on my experiences. If I had seen Iron Maiden in my 20s it would have been great, but seeing them recently when I never expected to was extra special. It was a real feeling of being very lucky. The same for Taylor Swift at Wembley and Annie Lennox at the Royal Albert Hall. Just as good as the concerts themselves were the people I was lucky enough to go with, as the opportunity to share music with my family is something that I truly value. My children still want to go to gigs with me and that’s something I never expected to happen. In November, my youngest daughter and I are going to see Wet Leg at the Royal Albert Hall! As one of her friends said, it’s not the type of music you would necessarily expect someone like me to enjoy! Hopefully we can see The Last Dinner Party in 2026.

Going to Australia took me right out of my comfort zone but I managed to finally see the Great Barrier Reef and to see the New Year’s Eve fireworks from a boat on Sydney Harbour. Being so close to the fireworks and to see the natural wonder were incredible. Funnily enough, going to the Film fair to see Julie Dawn Cole was quite nerve wracking because my 7 or 8 year old self was totally star struck, and she is definitely the only person I would get a photoshoot with!

In the months to come I will be walking inside the stone circle of Stonehenge and going to the Christmas Markets in Salzburg. Both of these events will be ones that will mean more to me now than they would have done in my younger years. The years ahead will hopefully see

New experiences with a new mindset