View from the ground

“Music was my first love
And it will be my last
Music of the future
And music of the past

To live without my music
Would be impossible to do
In this world of troubles
My music pulls me through”

The words of John Miles from 1976. Still a song that I have whirling through my mind. Partly because it’s very good, but mainly because those few words really resonate.

So, welcome to the latest grounded view.

What a week! Well, when I say what a week I am referring to my observations of the broadcasted news. When I say broadcasted news I am referring to what we are being told. When I say what we are being told, I mean I believe we are being fed what the broadcast company owners WANT us to know. When I say ………………… I’m sure you get the message.

Conspiracy theorist? Not at all. I just like to reflect on what I feel, in the hope that it inspires others to think and form their own thoughts around what is going on.

As for the news we have been fed this week, it really makes you wonder how much longer it will be before the masses gather and say – as one united voice – ENOUGH. As I write this paragraph I have the displeasure of listening to one political voice concentrating his diatribe against the UK Prime Minister rather than focussing on what the government can and will do – together! – to improve things for the population. I’ll refrain from commenting about the UK Prime Minister. Words aren’t needed or appropriate.

Naive? I don’t think so? Just a hope that the politicians that we put in positions of power did the job that we elect them to do rather than continually criticising each other time and time again. No wonder the world is in decline. They haven’t got a clue!

Anyway, as usual, I have strayed into a subject which wasn’t meant as the basis of the blog. However, there is a tenuous link as I have been doing a lot of thinking about escapism. Escapism? Yes, escapism. I’m sure there are millions of people who feel that their day is just a blur of routine. Usually following: –

* Alarm wakes up
* Wash, dress, feed and ready for work / the day
* Travel to work
* Work, work, work
* Travel home from work
* Cook / watching someone cooking
* Eat, talk, reflect
* Relax
* Bed
* ……… And do it again tomorrow

Now, of course, when you are working through your day, don’t forget to do your gratitudes. I’ve written many blogs on gratitude – these are still on the View From The Ground section on www.thesewingscanfly.wordpress.com. I’m rather proud of them.

And – key gratitudes are being alive, having a house, having clothes, having food, having a job, having a family to talk to …………… and that’s just starting! So, please don’t read that I am taking the above for granted.

But, we have it in our power to break the routine., shake off those chains of monotony, to say this is my one chance so (in this life anyway) TIME TO DANCE!

Mmmmmm – where is this going? Those who know me know I am not a gifted mover – unless last orders are called at the pub. But here’s the big but (note the spelling, so I’m not referring to my expanding rear) – we, my friends, don’t need to be gifted movers. We just need to move. As if the prove a point, I’ve just played Mr. Blue Sky by the awesome ELO (more on them in a bit) and found myself jigging in the kitchen. I love it. The release of music. Finding a great song gives you licence to say TIME TO DANCE.

Just think about the effect music can have on us. I’ve mentioned above ELO. Viv and I were fortunate – blessed it could be said – to see Jeff Lynne’s ELO last night at the magnificent Leeds Arena (one of the best venues I have been to). I’ve seen 200+ concerts, but last night was the best. The anticipation was phenomenal. Maybe because ELO are one of my all time favourite bands. But it was the collective excitement. And, then, the intro music and it was TIME TO DANCE.

I was surprised how many people stayed seated. Obviously they were enjoying the show. But, for 90 minutes, this was a chance for escapism; it was living in the moment (that’s a subject for a future blog); or in the words of Jeff Lynne, it was a living thing. Some people may have turn(ed) to stone but, it might have been some secret messages which just made us walk the tightrope and dance. If you don’t know ELO, I will apologise for those song references. They just came to me out of the blue.

But, that’s just it – music gives you chance to lose yourself, and to dance like you don’t. You can release your inner child and, before you know it, what ever was bothering you a minute previously has gone.

Well, Viv and I definitely lost ourselves in the magic of the concert. It has to be said, a couple of glasses of red wine helped me to dance like no one was watching. To be fair, they weren’t. What was going on in front, on the stage was the focus – although those seated behind us may question that.

What’s wrong with a couple of red wines to loosen things up though? A glass of red is another one of life’s pleasures. It’s certainly something a lot of us enjoy. I’ve recently heard it suggested that people have a drink when they get home from work as it could be regarded as a norm in society. I beg to differ. I have a drink when I get home because I enjoy a glass of red wine, and that’s the end of it. And I certainly enjoyed the red wine, the music and the dancing at Jeff Lynne’s ELO concert.

Still on the subject of music. How many of us sit in the car, something has been bothering us and then – bang – a great song comes on your CD, iPlayer, the radio etc, and we just lose ourselves in the moment, the magic. We sing, we wiggle, we release the inner child again.

We need to use music more to release ourselves from the routine; to dance like no one is watching. Who cares!

How about trying this technique the next time that you are wound up, or getting frustrated about something; remove yourself from the situation, find a room, put on some music or think of a song and then it’s TIME TO DANCE. Release your frustration. Slightly left of centre thinking, but try it. Might even be worth a try at work. If you do, let me know how it goes.

Music and dance can be used in so many situations to lift the spirits, and at this moment in time there are many people who need to do that. So, my feeling is we should lose ourselves in the music and use it as the here and now.

So, let the music play, have fun, be yourself and don’t be dictated to. This is your life to enjoy. I’d love to heard stories where perhaps your have had a dance like no one is watching. Please share your stories. I would love to post them on the blog site.

Until the next time. And if you spot the odd typo, sorry, I was dancing.

Jon

View from the ground

Hi and welcome to the latest view from the ground. Welcome to the new www.viewfromtheground.co.uk blog site. There’s still work to be done but I’m pleased to have my own space for these blogs. That said, whilst we go through a transitional phase I will be reposting the blogs on www.thesewingscanfly.wordpress.com for a short time. But the View From The Ground blogs needed their own place as my path has evolved in a different direction. Spiritual? I would say so. But very much rooted at a level where I want to help as many people as possible understand changes they are feeling and seeing, but without scaring them. The word ‘spiritual’ can scare people a bit but then when you look at a definition – ‘relating to or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things’ hopefully this can be related to be many of us?

There is no doubt that times they are ‘a changin’, as Bob Dylan prophesied many years ago. Interesting! I had a Facebook message exchange yesterday and reflected on changing times and that has stuck in my head. They are changing on a global level, on a national level, on a local level and, definitely, on a personal level.

With that thought in mind I looked up the lyrics to ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’ and was struck by how appropriate they are for today, so I wanted to share them: –

“Come gather ’round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you
Is worth savin’
Then you better start swimmin’
Or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won’t come again
And don’t speak too soon
For the wheel’s still in spin
And there’s no tellin’ who
That it’s namin’
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin’

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway
Don’t block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There’s a battle outside ragin’
It’ll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin’

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don’t criticize
What you can’t understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is rapidly agin’
Please get out of the new one
If you can’t lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'”

It certainly made me think. However, those who have followed my on the winding road from my view from the ground will know, I do a lot of thinking. My life purpose, I am told, is as interpreter. It’s a grander title but, basically, I look to interpret what I see and hear into plain speak. Some people like to talk in riddles and, perhaps, be seen as a higher source of information / knowledge. I look to filter what I hear and turn it into something a little more understandable.

To be fair, when I set out to put this blog together, as is the usual case, my thinking had been around a different place.

In this intense world that we seem to be operating in, our whole focus is on work – be that employed / self employed work, family work, home related work – we have little time to rest and certainly no time to play.

Play? Exactly. Play! I believe many of us have forgot to play. In fact, we’ve forgotten how to play. As I read recently (sorry, yes, I’m reading again) play is not just important for children, it is an important source of relaxation and stimulation for us adults as well. Playing with your significant other (assuming they agree!), friends, colleagues, pets (I can say that now we have our beautiful cat), and your children is a perfect way to stimulate way your imagination, your creativity and, most importantly, your emotional well-being. On top of all of that, it is fun! So, why have so many of us forgotten how to play?

I had a think about my typical working day. Out of bed, prepare and consume breakfast; prepare lunch; feed the cat; get dressed etc. Into work by 8:00 am. At the office until circa 6:00 pm, home b circa 6:45 pm. Sit down to eat by 8:00 pm (having cooked or assisted). If I’m lucky, out for a quick walk at 9:00 pm, and back in time for a bath at about 10:15 pm. And the day is done ……………… until tomorrow.
Where is the time for play? Okay, a talk during the evening meal (assuming I have company); a walk and talk; throwing the sponge mouse for the cat to retrieve, as she thinks she’s a dog, could be classed as play. However, it’s not good old fashioned play. Active play.

We need to try and remember what play used to be. Throwing a ball around in the garden? Sitting around a table having a laugh. Playing a board game. Going out for a bike ride, or a long walk whilst it is daylight. Basically, something that allows your brain to switch off from that thing that we call life. You could say, something that allows you to go back to that state your could enjoy as a child – not having a worry in the world. Unconditional fun!

Just think about the possible benefits of playing – particularly when it involves some else, or a pet. This can add to your joy of life, and theirs.
The clearest benefit of play is stress relief. Play is fun and it’s an escape, a distraction. It can trigger the release of endorphins, promoting an overall sense of well-being. Play can also enhance brain function. Activities such as completing crosswords, puzzles etc, playing chess or some other ‘play’ activities that challenge the brain can help prevent memory problems and improve brain function. It’s like any form of positive exercise. The more you do it, the stronger you can make what you exercising.

Sitting around the table, talking or playing with family and friends can also help ward off stress and depression. Again, distraction? Or, actually, is the play and interaction actually reality? Is all of the other stuff the distraction? I’ll leave that thought with you.

And, another, important reason for play is to allow it to help keep you feeling young and energetic. As George Bernard Shaw says right at the start of this blog, “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” Age is a number, and is inevitable. However, ageing is a choice – or at least the speed at which we age is.

One thing for certain is that times, they are a-changin. Our ability to deal with the changing times will be enhanced through maintaining a high level of of energy and a high level of happiness.

I would like to finish with my favourite John Lennon quote: –

Take care of yourselves. Now, get outside and start playing. And, please, be happy.

Speak soon. If you want contact me direct, and me an email – jonlduke@icloud.com. Alternatively, I’m on Facebook, as Jon Duke (never one for being overly creative). In addition, there’s a View From The Ground Facebook page + I’m on Twitter as @viewftg. It would be good to hear from you.

Finally, my usual disclaimer for any typos. This is all written from the heart.
Jon