Back in the day...

... The 70s

I was a big fan of Carole King and used to play her LP "Tapestry" on my record player nearly every night in my student bedsit in the west end of Glasgow. 

This is a photo of that album that I still play to this day. It is old but never ceases to move me. However the record player is a new one. A birthday present to Andy for him to play his record collection from... back in the day.

Carole seemed to me to be a friend. I loved her voice and every song had a message - just for me! I even went to London to see her life story "Beautiful" - The Carole King Musical... in 2015. Which is now, also... back in the day

 

 Who doesn't respond to the song "You've got a friend" when times are "dark and full of clouds". 

... and talking about friends. Mega thanks to all the Friends with Focus that helped us achieve the £2,500 donation target for Walk for Hope in April. All funds going to the charity Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis for research purposes.

 What an achievement. So many of us walking the prom in memory of Andy. All of us with our own thoughts and challenges but brought together in friendship and solidarity to make a difference. 

Grazie mille i miei amici...

... and on the subject of Tapestry and my take on threads linking us to each other, two things happened to reinforce my belief in magical connections.

The first one was a member of the Ayrshire PF Support Group who checked out last month's blog. He found out that he had known my husband... back in the day, when they were children and that his brother had been a close friend of my brother-in-law. 

There were many other connections but when I received his email informing me of his threads in Andy's life tapestry, it was confirmation to me that we all connected, it is just up to us to find the threads and cherish them.

The second one was while Helen and I were walking the prom, enjoying the sunshine, a fellow tennis player of Andy's approached us with the opportunity to host a charity event on Friday the 6th June at Fencebay. Music by the wonderful Fencebay Band.

As we hadn't completed our charity walk at that time, I was initially reluctant to take it on board. However, back in the day... 

I had been told that when opportunity comes knocking, you just need to open the door. So now I am looking forward to a Gig in memory of Andy, with some of his fave songs being played and everyone enjoying themselves as he would... back in the day.

 

 

Tapestry of Magic

Tapestries have always fascinated me. Not just the skill required to weave the threads but the vision that the weavers carried in their heads to create the beautiful cloth pictures that were made as if by magic...

I do feel that life shows up as a tapestry, with pictures forming from connections that are beyond my creation or even understanding. Moments of magic that pull people together. Threads that according to quantum physics "entangle" not in a negative way but gentle nudges that help you share time and space with your tribe.

I am sure you know what I mean and have many a magic moment yourself

Last night I enjoyed time well spent at a monthly book club like no other...

The theme was laughter in the dark, allowing us to share our books, poems and authors who help us transcend our dark times. So it isn't about everyone reading the same book and then discussing it, it is about sharing literary gems that have given us hope, happiness or even a change of heart.

 Last year when meeting my son Kenneth for a late lunch at a deli called Cuku not far from Kenneth and Natalie's flat I came across a poster advertising "Word of Mouth" and I was intrigued by the play on words. Kenneth encouraged me to book and I attended one of the most magical events for me at that time.

There were people discussing politics and not shouting each other down but listening to each other's points of view with respect. People sharing books and authors I hadn't heard of and as you know I read a lot! 

But the biggest thrill was being welcomed into the company and finding new friends, like-minded people whose life threads wove well with mine. 

 

 Then there was the incident, I use the term loosely, when someone came to the Zumba class and stood beside me... and recognised me from 40 years ago when we played squash against each other! Now that was quite a pull on the tapestry... once a friend seemingly always a friend, it appears. As someone who had been there in the past,  but only now our life threads were being pulled together again... as if by magic 40 years later.

So many times I have received a tug on my tapestry.

 

 

 

One that made a huge difference to me was the magic of Groundology. I was at one time struggling to walk and the orthopedic surgeon told  me that I needed new knees so I went on a waiting list. A friend recommended groundology to me. I bought the book, studied the science, applied the apparatus and walked barefoot whenever I could... 

 

 

 

 

and then when I went for a pre-op assessment I was told that whatever I was doing was working, so just to continue because I was now not requiring any operations. My mantra to this day is that "I am a walking miracle".

I am a big fan of Snoopy and the gang. Philosophy comes in many guises but none with so much fun as Snoopy. So forgive me for using them as bullet points to get my point across... teehee.

My latest magical weft in the tapestry of my life is the charity Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis. As part of the local support group, we meet monthly but this particular month has been focused on the Walk for Hope fundraising campaign. The email message to volunteer came into my laptop last month just as I was setting a goal for myself to walk more. How magical to get a reason to walk coming through the airwaves!

APF is a small charity and April's Walk for Hope focus is to raise money for research into cause and cure of PF. 

So on Saturday the 26th April with some fellow support group members, some friends and family, we will be walking the Largs prom.

 Feel free to join us if you can. Starting point is Aubrey Crescent at 10.30am and walking 3km to finish  at The Pencil, Delighted to report that I have raised over £700.00 so far...

 

My final magical weaving tale for this blog was when I met Andy 54 years ago. I had been told by a mutual friend to look out for him at the hospital where we were both based, as we seemed to him to have the same sense of humour.  I was a physio student at that time and the Andy Auld that was described to me was a third year medical student with blond curly hair and glasses. Imagine my surprise when I found myself standing in the hospital canteen queue beside a chap with brown hair and no glasses but a twinkle in his eye.

Another plus for me was that there was no stethoscope hanging out of his pocket! Now here is where it gets interesting. I said "excuse me, but would you be Andy Auld from Kilmarnock?" and his reply was to say "yes, and you must be Eileen from Oban!" 

Now how was that for a quantum leap/magical moment of tapestry weaving leading to many a walk together and many moments of laughter, as our mutual friend of long ago had realised, we did share the same sense of humour as well as the same outlook on life and the same magic tapestry... 

so now the message for me is to ...

 knowing that "life's a journey - enjoy".

 

 

 

Walk for Hope

Next month is the APF charity's Walk for Hope challenge. The month of April is focused on raising awareness of the condition and also focusing on raising money for research. 

 As part of the campaign I intend to walk the Largs Prom from Aubrey Crescent to the Pencil on Saturday morning, the 26th April with a cohort of 10 people from the Ayrshire Pulmonary Fibrosis Support Group. 

Will be posting photos no doubt next month in the blog however this month is getting fitter by walking more and spending time with other committed fund raisers. Friends with Focus.

You can check out my facebook page for more information on how to donate or get in touch with me directly if you would like to join us on our Walk of Hope.

... it's going to be a busy month.

 

Road ahead

 Sometimes, just sometimes you get the message that perhaps you are not in control of the journey...

• Could be the unexpected temporary traffic lights that weren't there yesterday and are causing a delay. This one is easy to deal with as you just arrive at your destination a little later.
  
• Even when faced with a frustrating traffic jam of hours, we can still keep our cool accepting that something major was causing the delay. 

 

So these are moments, that happen when travelling by car and the same frustrations can be felt and dealt with when travelling by bus, train or plane. These are first world problems. Problems of privilege, if you will and were brought crashing home to me, when faced with a health crisis that arrived without warning... 

 

This month has brought a mega lesson to my door.

Not the chest pain that brought me to my knees but the surrounding support, advice and healing that was there to help me through my health "event" as the doctor called it.

It was the realisation that in the world at large, people are suffering with no recourse to help. No control over their life and death circumstances. No opportunity to minimise their problems by accepting the delays...

Now it could be that my thought process was altered by my own grave health concerns. However, I am writing about it, because it should be something that I consider daily, especially as the world at large is in crisis.

Our meditation group, the Power of Eight, meet together and focus on an intention which changes with whatever circumstances, we as a group find ourselves. We set aside some time and prioritise our thoughts and this month's intention is 

"with peace in our hearts and peace in our minds, let us spread peace, love and hope around the world"

Anyone can make a difference to the road ahead, by thinking differently...

 

 

Take comfort...

 The picture below is an inspiring view of just a little part of our universe. It is one that draws me in and also comforts me, reminding me of the millenia of new years...

 

... and here we are in another new year. 

Lower case letters for me as I approach 2025. Last year was a bit of a blur if I am honest... and you know how I need to be honest.

I occupied my time with the Ayrshire Pulmonary Fibrosis Support Group, being with my grand-kiddies, catching up with friends and family and immersing myself in Korean TV series. Yep, you read that right. I watched so many Korean series that I have now signed up to learn Korean on Duolingo and am finding it fascinating.

This year I would like a little more clarity in my use of time. It's important to have some idea of what is important!

So with that in mind ... and I have taken time over the past two weeks to ponder what I consider to be important. The result is that I intend to focus on comfort.

Everyone associates comfort with something else. Such as - comfort blanket, comfort food, comfort zone and the association is usually a negative one. However I would like to put a different slant on it and put comfort at the top of my priority list both for myself and others as comfort is a feeling beyond any of my words and a much needed presence in everyone's life.

So for 2025 in the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson

"This is my wish for you.

Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to lighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt yourself, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, Love to complete your life"

Please take comfort in these words. They will make 2025 a lighter year for everyone.

Om shanti,

Eileen

Merry Christmas

It is the time of year when we need to shine our light brightly. Not just because it is dark and wintry in the northern hemisphere but because we need to share our light so that those around us can feel lighter and brighter.

Last year, as you know, was a difficult time for me to write about any form of Christmas cheer or to focus on shining.

This year, as you can imagine, is still difficult but I am in a place where I can accept that shining one's light is the only option I have. 

                             Sometimes a picture appears and the future seems a little clearer.

         Sometimes a light lifts the dark thoughts and the present becomes a little brighter. 

               Cherishing a memory always fills the heart and the past becomes a blessing.

 

 

Friendship

 

Recently I have been pondering on the subject of friends and the power of friendship. The reason being, that although I have been blessed with great friends, my life just now would be a lot less bearable without these wonderful people in my life...

Not wanting to be maudlin, just stating the facts. Yesterday I met up with a school friend from Primary School. We met over a lovely, Italian lunch in Glasgow and chatted about our circumstances and the many people in our lives who have come and gone since we first met 66 years ago. 

Grazie mille Liz. I know that you are reading this because you always do...

Then there is the friend who travelled up from England to see if I really was ok and not just saying so on the phone. 

Grazie mille Lynn. 52 years since we shared a flat in Glasgow.

There are friends closer to home, who keep in touch and other friends, far flung who drop a line, send a card, lift the phone or email from time to time. I am blessed to know you and have you in my life...

Sometimes I meet a friend for coffee and a chat or go with them for a swim or a walk. Even the occasional lunch goes in the calendar and always time flies when true friendship is present at the table.