One and One Makes Three
Hi there,
‘I have been saved by Ruth. Saved by her love. Saved by her optimism. Saved by her trust. Saved by her acceptance of me as I am. Saved by our marriage. Saved by our intimacy. Saved by our love. Saved by the brave choices we have made together.
‘One plus one makes three.
‘Had I not met and married Ruth, our home would not exist, our son and daughter would not exist, I would not have been a columnist with The Irish Times. I might never have left teaching.
‘I might never have enjoyed a fulfilling, mutually rewarding marriage of equality and love. I would probably be lonely, unhappy and “unsaved”.’
I wrote that in my journal last Friday 5 April.
We Need Other People
I have no problem in saying I’ve been saved by someone else. When you’re drowning at sea, if you’re lucky you might be saved by a seafarer or the RNLI.
When you’re sick and dying, you may be saved by a doctor or surgeon. When crossing a road with a maniac driving nearby, you might be saved by a high-visibility jacket or a policeman who stops the lunatic killing you.
Voiceover Adventures: Sharing Stories with Subscribers
I recorded my first ever voiceover for my Substack last Friday. It drew welcome responses from subscribers.
I appreciate those of you who got back to me, encouraging me to continue with my audiobook. I do love to hear from readers and listeners. Thank you, Shekhar, Michael and Mary! You encouraged me, and I got two more episodes recorded and edited in the past week.
Storm Kathleen and Brother Paul’s Visit
Storm Kathleen came and went last Saturday without any disruption to our electricity, thank goodness. Nor did it prevent the welcome visit of my brother Paul to the wilds of North Meath!
Paul stayed overnight. I journaled early last Sunday 7 April: ‘Paul is in bed. Yesterday went very well. We had dinner, Paul and I went for a walk, and we watched a movie on Netflix by the fire. We caught up on each other’s families.’
Thanks for visiting, brother! Come down again soon!
Symphony of Birdsong
As I write this at 6am on Thursday 11 April, a magnificent choir of birds is singing. I’ve opened the window to hear them even better. And I’ve turned on the Merlin App on my phone.
Enjoy four minutes of birdsong from Joe and Ruth’s garden in the Irish countryside:
Ruth introduced me to the App as Paul, Ruth and I walked at Jamestown bog last Sunday morning. Later that day, I downloaded the App myself. After just 20 minutes that evening, the App recorded and identified ten species of bird in our garden: the wren, blue tit, chaffinch, dunnock, sparrow, raven, great tit, greenfinch, blackbird and robin.
Next morning, soon after 6am, I recorded just ten more minutes and the App identified 12 species of bird, including two uncommon ones—the Lesser Redpoll and the Eurasian Treecreeper. It also heard the chiffchaff, coal tit, rook, song thrush and woodpigeon.
In all, in a total of only 40 minutes’ recording, I’ve detected 18 species of bird singing in our garden. While typing the above words, the App identified eight species: blackbird, robin, wren, blue tit, song thrush, woodpigeon, magpie and coal tit.
How lucky I am to live in the Irish countryside, serenaded by such spontaneous natural musical delights! And I’m delighted that Ruth introduced me to the wonders of the Cornell Lab Merlin App.
Shedding the Old, Embracing the New!
Last Monday, we ordered a new shed. The wooden one we have is way past its use-by date. Ruth and I decluttered it last Sunday evening. I’ll have to figure out how to demolish it in readiness for the arrival of the new metal shed in six to eight weeks’ time.
Body and Mind: Pilates and Toastmasters
I’ve begun a new course of Pilates. I found some of it quite testing, but I know it’s good for me and it will help to strengthen my core.
Crafting and Improving Speeches
Yesterday I worked on a speech for Toastmasters. I’ll get feedback on it at an evaluation contest by six or more contestants. It’ll be a great way to further improve it and my speaking skills.
One of the things I love about Toastmasters is its egalitarian ethos. Evaluations are given to support, encourage and suggest improvements for the speaker; not to criticize them. At a normal Toastmasters meeting, the speech evaluators are themselves evaluated by a General Evaluator!
Having written the speech, I now need to learn the lines and rehearse it.
Gratitude and Well Wishes
I hope you have a great week!
Happy days,
Joe
You can listen to the launch of the first memoir on the Losing My Religion Podcast or watch it on YouTube.
You can listen to the more recent launch of Saved by a Woman on my Losing My Religion Podcast or the Joe the Human post and Podcast.
Saved by a Woman is now available on Amazon in Kindle, Paperback, and Hardback editions.
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Happy days,
Joe