I’m not a big believer in fate, what’s written in the stars, or mapped out or planned for us by any external force. To me life is a heady mixture of luck, context and genes – so much of our own individual path seems determined by the oceans buffeting our little tiny ships as we struggle to stay upright and afloat through life.
But over the past few months everywhere I look there’ve been signs seemingly telling me something significant, with each one indicating it’s time for a change. The Rob Rinder article I happened to read in the Evening Standard on the way home from work imploring those readers in middle age that it’s never too late to for a new start. The SAS Who Dares Wins episode that speaks of (and pardon the gendered language) the ‘man in the arena’, where having the courage to begin and to take part is encouraged and celebrated as the necessary first step in overcoming any challenge. The children’s book version of the Beatles’ ‘All you need is love’ I’ve been reading with my first daughter Anaaya, with the brilliant lyric ‘you can learn how to be you in time’, signifying for me that it takes time to be truly yourself, but that you’ll get there. The interview I overheard on the radio one lunchtime with the comedian Ed Byrne reflecting on why he does what he does (and ultimately the meaning of life or at least work) – stressing we should try to ‘do what makes our heart sing’. Or one particular card from a collection of cheesy inspirational quote cards my wife snapped up from a charity shop which simply says ‘be brave with your life’ – something I find just so inspirational, which is displayed beneath my computer screen and which inspires and reminds me daily to take the path less travelled.
It’s now over 5 years since I last undertook a major dancing challenge and I feel all the above are pointing to me resurrecting and relaunching my prancing exploits. With all the commitments of a young family and high pressured job, actually finding the time and space to do this is however going to require some serious rethinking about how to structure life and work.
More of that to follow. For now the decision has been made: in 2024, my planet prancing will return. It’s time to be brave with my life.
