Life's Rollercoaster
Unexpected Turns, Joyful Surprises, and Lessons Learned
Hi there,
In today’s Substack, an unexpected (and first) bout of covid—on the publication date of my new book! The first ever radio play of a song I’ve written. A second cock-up (by me) of an Instagram Live event. My seven-day dawn-to-dusk hard physical labour of splitting wood with The Beast. Disappointment at having to withdraw from the Toastmasters District Humorous Speech contest. And the profound joy of reconnecting with significant people from my past.
Covid strikes!
I was, until last Tuesday, one of those few remaining people who had never contracted covid. Then my missus tested positive last Saturday. Her first time too. Three days later, I had it—testing positive on the day the Kindle edition of Saved by a Woman was published.
Groundhog Day on Instagram Live!
Around 5pm that Tuesday evening, The Rayne, Andrea Patron and I had decided to have another go at the launch of our song Every Moment on Instagram Live—after I had mucked up the original launch because my broadband was down, turning the first launch into Crazy Tech Hell! Picture below shows a rare moment when I managed to join the proceedings for the second attempt, with smiling Bryan Matthews aka The Rayne (top), Andrea Patron (bottom left) and Joe Armstrong (bottom right)—but not for long!
This second time, I singlehandedly messed it up again! What with the covid, the omens weren’t good! I’m new to Instagram and I didn’t know that I couldn’t join the live event through my desktop. I’d gone to some trouble soundproofing my room so that my planned readings from my new memoir would sound good! Well, I never got to read them. When I eventually and briefly managed to join the live event, there was again a delay between my desktop and mobile phone. It was Groundhog Day! Anyway, here’s a link to the recording of the live event. The Rayne and Andrea Patron did well. I was a disaster! Maybe third time lucky?
First Radio Play of ‘Every Moment’!
But next night, last Wednesday, I’d a big boost, hearing the first ever radio play of our song ‘Every Moment’. It was cool too that it got its first play on Roddie Cleere’s highly regarded Irish Music Show on KCLR. He said of our song: ‘I like that. It sounds really good indeed. A song called: “Every Moment.”
In fact, it was the first time that any song I’d written or co-written was played on the radio! Yippee! Another thing ticked off me bucket list! You can listen here to the song being played and to DJ Roddie Cleere’s informed and encouraging words after he played it.
Toastmasters’ Withdrawal
I was disappointed to withdraw because of covid from the Toastmasters District Humorous Speech Contest. The contest was this morning.
However, lest my would-be speech be lost to posterity (shock and horror), I have uploaded to YouTube a recording of a private rehearsal I did before the Area contest. In the actual contest, I wore a three-piece suit, I had practiced it more, and it had the spice of a live audience. Nevertheless, I hope you like this recording on YouTube or just click the link below!
After the Ash Trees
I couldn’t do my Substack last Friday because I was doing hard physical labour from dawn to dusk, spending seven days splitting wood with The Beast, my nickname for our hired, massive, wood splitter.
I astounded myself that my dodgy back didn’t act up, having to haul and heave massive rings of wood. But it didn’t ache or ‘go’! I attribute the unexpected resilience of my back to having recently taken up Pilates and ‘conditioning’, a weekly hourly session of weights and other physical exercises. (A few weeks ago, I would have thought that that was something to do with shampoo!)
Reconnecting with Friends
A joy for me this past week was reconnecting with a dear friend. Readers of my first memoir may remember Bríd, one of two best friends from UCD. I had lost touch with her over the years but, because of my second memoir, we have found one another again. We chatted for ages this week, filling my well again from the spring of friendship, spontaneity and great conversation.
Another profound experience for me this week was reconnecting with a former pupil from St Bon’s, the school in the East End of London where I was a teacher for five years in the early 1990s. He was a remarkable young man then and he’s as remarkable a mature man now. I intended to write my Substack yesterday, but I chose instead to spend much of the day exchanging text messages with him, wanting to do so, and, later yesterday afternoon, chatting together in depth on Messenger; catching up on almost 30 years!
I found our conversation humbling (in a good way) and affirming.
Thank you, Ruth!
I’m aware of how beyond lucky I am with Ruth. While I may well have lifted the weight of several ash trees up to last Sunday, I’ve hardly lifted a cup since then! I’ve felt poorly but Ruth is only three days ahead of me in recovery; yet she has held the fort, fed the dog and her man, and put up, graciously, with my covid-man-flu.
Gaza, Israel, Ukraine…
Finally, I think of the children, women and men of Gaza. And the children, women and men of Israel. I think of the dead, the bereaved and the maimed of both sides; and the war-besieged lands of Ukraine, and so many other troubled places and peoples around the world.
I think of human suffering coexisting with birth, joy and love. I don’t understand any of it; nor, I suspect, does anyone else.
Until next week,
Happy days,
Joe