I have to express heartfelt gratitude to Dan, a pal since secondary school, who’s helped us out with getting wheels. And my mum, for stepping up to help me cover Hire & Reward insurance, so I can start earning again.
That old saying ‘a friend in need is a friend indeed’ has taken on a deeper resonance, thanks to their generosity and kindness. Thanks, mum and my ol’ buddy! Thanks also to Mel, who gave us the car that’s just been made roadworthy.
I don’t know if it’s generally true or not, these days, and in ‘our culture’ at large, but I feel that, personally, I find it quite hard to ask for help. It feels like an admission of personal failure, to even need help.
A successful person ought to stand on their own! Plus I’m quite introverted, so helping or being helped can be tricky, as it involves interaction and, potentially, emotions.
I love Bill Withers. And just as the aforementioned saying about friendship, referred to above, has achieved a deeper meaning for me, so too has his superb song, Lean On Me.
But there is an irony, or a Catch 22, inasmuch as that when one feels weak, vulnerable, or at a low ebb – as I have been doing lately – one can become less inclined to help others
With one’s own suffering becoming all consuming, the energy reserves required to help others simply aren’t there. But perhaps doing so despite this can be part of fixing one’s problems? I don’t claim to know! But that it occurs to me at all is, I think, a good sign.
Dan and other (Mel and mum) good examples are making me think about how – whether right now, or a bit later (when I’m feeling better able) – I or we might have something to contribute, either to those we already know, or even those we don’t as yet.
And to finish? A sentiment I need to express, done a la Beastie Boys! I like the music, a lot. But the fashion sense and vocal vibes? A bit brash for me, these days. Still, this era of BB (Check Your Head?) is great, in most respects. RIP, Adam Yauch.