Let’s start with a little characteristic digression. Doing so is of course, entirely in keeping with my new tendency towards disordered thinking and a lack of mental self-control in keeping this in check. Lest anyone think that the foresight evidenced by this paragraph is actually, evidence of ordered thought patterns, I should say that I had already digressed, before this struck me, and you are currently reading the product of a later revision.

 

So – on with the digression:

 

If anybody cares, I’ve finally understood what this Shakespearian quotation is actually, getting at – all goes to show that I hadn’t read the lines in Twelfth Night that follow right after it.  I’d generally assumed that Orsino craved love and wanted music, so a bit more of it might come his way.  In fact, though, the words that follow, indicate that he is actually seeking a surfeit of love, such that he gets utterly sick of it and doesn’t want to be loved anymore - lovesickness cured!

 

Never let it be said that you don’t learn something from this blog ...

 

And, as we’ll see, the reference to music in the title is of relevance to this post. Sorry, if anyone was expecting a sloppy love story – you’ll have to wait a while for one of those!

 

You might remember that a few weeks ago, I posted a little on a very big hobby of mine – namely music. Well here’s a bit more ...

 

But you’ll have to wait a bit for that ...

 

As I’ve said (over and over again!), many aspects of my life have now changed. It is though, rather too easy for me to focus on the negative and for my thoughts to be dominated by losses – and these include activities that I can no longer engage in.

 

There are however plenty of things that I can still do and no doubt there are some new activities that I can take up.

 

Thinking about new stuff .... 

 

As I’ve said before, apparent loss can often, be recast as opportunity.

 

An obvious example for myself, is that being unable to pursue certain activities has freed up time to seek and participate in others – and that includes some new things.

 

I therefore have an opportunity to find some new ways of filling my time.

 

Moving on - I am coming to a gradual appreciation that filling the gaps in my schedule has a positive effect on my newfound emotional state. 

 

For pretty obvious reasons, I now have more gaps left to fill. Of course, I could simply, expand pre-existing behaviour in order to fill up this space. That said, if I relied solely on this, I think I might struggle to close enough crevices.  In any event, what would be the fun in that – why not give some new things a try? 

 

I, therefore, have more than just an opportunity to try new things – it is coupled with an incentive to exploit it.

 

So why not just jump in and give it a go?

 

For myself at least, there is a hurdle that needs to be overcome.

 

I sometimes fail to engage in an activity, out of a fear of failure This personal preconception of inadequacy is however proving to be sometimes, unfounded. In any event – provided that I don’t invest too much time and money, is it so bad to try something that I don’t end up being cut out for? I am therefore learning to cast aside many of these fears and stop them being a barrier to new and fulfilling ways of spending my time – after all, you don’t know whether you can do something, unless you have a go!

 

Returning briefly to music. This provides a good example of what I have just been saying:

 

As I mentioned in an earlier post, it has always played a big part in my life. 

 

I’ve now got more time in which to engage in it (opportunity) and in doing so, I can fill some gaps – which is good for my psychological wellbeing (incentive). Perhaps though, the contribution of musical activity to a positive mental state would be greater, if I look to diversify my musical experience.

 

There are indeed, 2 areas into which I had (until recently) never ventured. These are composing and recording. Certainly, so far as the former is concerned, this was largely by reason of a self-assumption that I couldn’t do it! Regarding recording, Phil v1.0 simply didn’t have time (or headspace) to pursue this.

 

Well – Phil v2.0 has a lot more time on his hands, so that should be less of an issue, now.

So far as composing is concerned, how do I know that I can’t do it unless I give it a try?

 

... and that is what I have done!

 

Of course, the results of these efforts are pretty simple and are not indicative of any particular creativity. I am however (arrogantly?!) quite pleased with the little that I have done to date. If nothing else, I am enjoying it.

 

Of course, this wouldn’t have happened, if I had fearfully failed to jump in. 

 

Although certain behaviours lend themselves to caution, there are plenty that don’t – and in such cases, arming myself with a bit more self-confidence is proving to be fruitful ...




 

 

 

 


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