Trusting Life
Recently I published a memoir of my time following punk band The Macc Lads around, back in the late 80s and 90s. They reformed in 2018, not having played together since 1997.
I was supposed to go and see them play in London in May for the first time in over 20 years but the flight got cancelled (while I was sat in the sodding departure lounge) so the epilogue to the book wasn't "great to see everyone again" but instead "nice free dinner at the airport and the ticket refund plus the statutory compensation from Ryanair was OK too".
They are playing at Nottingham Rock City on December 1st so I bought a ticket.
Then...as the reality of my situation began to peer through the fragile shields of my life, I realised that I couldn't really afford to go. I live in Italy so that would have meant flying to Manchester, hiring a car and driving to Nottingham and then staying in a hotel and driving back the next day. About £250 if I was cautious with my spending and one unpaid day off work.
So...I put the ticket up for sale. Sad but not the end of the world and I hoped that maybe things would work out so I could see them at a later gig. I trusted that something would come up. To whit, I trusted that the universe would help me out.
Then… about a week later I got an email off one of the Macc Lads. It was fairly pithy, saying only "Why you selling your ticket dickwad?" I hadn't heard from him in years and was genuinely surprised to get the message. I explained the reasons and he offered to put me on the guest list for a future gig, something I'd never thought of asking for.
Buoyed by this, a couple of days after I was chatting on the phone to my friend who lives in the north of England. She holds my UK mail until I come back in the summer each year and she asked if I wanted to spend Christmas with her and her family. I have known them for over 25 years and used to babysit the kids (then 7 and 8 years old) who are now in their 30s.
The Macc Lads are playing on the 22nd in Manchester. The support band are called The Ramonas, an all female Ramones tribute band that I have wanted to see perform live for a long time. I fly in to spend Christmas with my pals on the 21st and my friends' son is going to drive me to the gig the day after.
So...I will have a wonderful Christmas and all through trusting that life would provide me with what I needed.
I have always had trust issues but I let go of what I thought I wanted and was provided with more than I ever thought I could get.
I was supposed to go and see them play in London in May for the first time in over 20 years but the flight got cancelled (while I was sat in the sodding departure lounge) so the epilogue to the book wasn't "great to see everyone again" but instead "nice free dinner at the airport and the ticket refund plus the statutory compensation from Ryanair was OK too".
They are playing at Nottingham Rock City on December 1st so I bought a ticket.
Then...as the reality of my situation began to peer through the fragile shields of my life, I realised that I couldn't really afford to go. I live in Italy so that would have meant flying to Manchester, hiring a car and driving to Nottingham and then staying in a hotel and driving back the next day. About £250 if I was cautious with my spending and one unpaid day off work.
So...I put the ticket up for sale. Sad but not the end of the world and I hoped that maybe things would work out so I could see them at a later gig. I trusted that something would come up. To whit, I trusted that the universe would help me out.
Then… about a week later I got an email off one of the Macc Lads. It was fairly pithy, saying only "Why you selling your ticket dickwad?" I hadn't heard from him in years and was genuinely surprised to get the message. I explained the reasons and he offered to put me on the guest list for a future gig, something I'd never thought of asking for.
Buoyed by this, a couple of days after I was chatting on the phone to my friend who lives in the north of England. She holds my UK mail until I come back in the summer each year and she asked if I wanted to spend Christmas with her and her family. I have known them for over 25 years and used to babysit the kids (then 7 and 8 years old) who are now in their 30s.
The Macc Lads are playing on the 22nd in Manchester. The support band are called The Ramonas, an all female Ramones tribute band that I have wanted to see perform live for a long time. I fly in to spend Christmas with my pals on the 21st and my friends' son is going to drive me to the gig the day after.
So...I will have a wonderful Christmas and all through trusting that life would provide me with what I needed.
I have always had trust issues but I let go of what I thought I wanted and was provided with more than I ever thought I could get.
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