Dear Reader –
It was nice to be asked by Rory O’Connor (Rory’s Stories) to be his guest on the Sligo leg of his national tour last Saturday night. We had a great chat and finished the show with a few tunes and a sing-song. The main topic of conversation was mental wellbeing, how we look after ourselves, and after plucking up the courage to speak about this in front of a full theatre (!), I thought it might be an interesting topic for today’s letter.
**All hyperlinks in bold.
The Big Thing
In October 2019 I was getting ready to release my first (and so far only) solo piano album. I had been regularly talking to a counsellor every Wednesday morning for the guts of a year at that stage and the sessions had inspired a lot of the music that ended up on the album.
I wanted to call the album ‘A Year of Wednesdays’, but knew if I did so that people would ask why. And so I had to figure out if I was OK with people knowing about what I got up to each Wednesday morning.
And after a bit of thought and a few conversations, I figured I was. It’s not something we talk about regularly, but I don’t see why that should be the case. I don’t feel it’s anything of which to be ashamed, in fact it has been a hugely positive thing in my life and I would recommend it to anyone.
There’s no doubt that these sessions are the big thing for me in terms of keeping my head straight. Nearly four years on and what brought me there is now in the past, but I keep going back. Why? It’s good for me. I don’t go every week, and some of the weeks I do go it can feel like a luxury and I wonder what we’ll speak about, but I always leave with something. A thought, an insight, a suggestion - something small that can make life better for me and those close to me.
I have a dodgy left hip. On a bad day I’ll hobble around a bit. It’s from years of wear and tear on the football pitch. I have to look after it, and so I see a physio who recommends daily stretches and movements to help it. And it’s exactly the same thing with a counsellor. An expert who can help you navigate difficulties that may arise from the general wear and tear of daily life.
I have had some lovely emails from letter readers sharing their stories in the last few days - some after the gig on Saturday, others by coincidence last week. Hopefully some of you get something from this. Please get in touch if you have something to say. It’s good to talk!
Where else but Sligo?
I have known Micky Downs a long time. He did fantastic work with huge numbers of local children in the martial arts field for years. Now he runs fitness classes for adults. Micky is very much about sustainable exercise. Valuing consistency over intensity, but with the aim of keeping us all fit and healthy as we get older.
I heard about the classes recently and am a regular attendee now. But while you go for the exercise, you come back for two reasons. Firstly the community. The morning class suits me (and many other self-employed people) and there is a great gang there from all walks of life who keep you entertained and motivated as you make your way through the programme.
If I told you the second reason you’d all be there tomorrow morning (!), so I’ll keep it a secret for now, but it’s Micky’s unique and generous way of making his gym a little bit different.
It’s great for the body, but crucially also for the head. And far easier to look after yourself in a group like this with a coach than on your own. And - the music is top class - Micky plays great drums too so knows his way around a good playlist!
What’s New?
SINGING TOGETHER: Sinéad commented after Saturday’s show that Rory clearly was onto something by finishing his show with a sing-song. The therapeutic nature of singing in groups has been written about many times, most notably here. From 2008, but still relevant today.
READING FICTION: One of my favourite ways to forget everything and get lost in a new world. This and this are my two most recent favourites.
SAYING NO: Sometimes you just have to. Here’s an entertaining (and possibly informative) look at how people have dealt with this issue over the years!
Finally
Here’s one of my favourites from the aforementioned A Year of Wednesdays. Featuring Niamh Crowley.
Till next time - Kieran.
