Monday, November 25, 2013

Uplifting and Inspiring

It's not often I'll get an email with a comment on the blog but I got one from Andrea today to say specifically how much she had enjoyed the articles with the videos of the contestants on various television singing shows:  "The Rose" - Christopher Maloney Auditions for The X Factor (video) and More Kid Makes Good Videos from Singing Contests

She said they make her cry ... and I hope so as they sure made me cry.  These are some of the finest stories people can tell as all of them show a total nobody becoming a major somebody and they, maybe more than anything else in the world just now, show that it really is possible.  They say also to me that maybe it would be a better thing to treat people with just a wee bit more respect as there are surely many more major somebodies out there who haven't yet worked up the courage to go for the title or don't believe they can do it.  As with a lot of the best stuff on the blog, Cat put me onto it.

Thanks to Andrea for the email and for the encouragement to keep the vibe where it needs to be.  There was a similar feeling back on the road when Lotho said the story of the trip to Scotland had inspired him to explore Europe too.  I hope he does but most of all I hope he or anyone else going over there takes the time to live it.  When you do a whistle stop tour, just landing here and there like a butterfly, you never really get to know anyone.  You will see a lot of things but you won't necessarily feel anything.

In Greece there was Harry and his family and the relationship was so beautiful that I was often eating with them and I even went to Easter services at a Greek Orthodox church with them.  In Manchester, there was the time with lefty Unplugged and Mrs lefty for a really wonderful experience getting to know them and their musical friends.  Scotland was largely misery except for hanging out with my cousin but it was still an education and an expansion of my life.  (I don't know what has become of the book.  I published it and I check each day but it's not online yet.  It'll come.)

I have no doubt that the biggest adventure of all is going to Germany for the many, many reasons I've written here.  People are arguing up and down about Iranian nukes just now but that won't happen with Germany.  The Germans do not build nuclear weapons.  Germans are also very funny and you can see some of that in another article:  Kylie Minogue klatscht Raab eine! / Kylie Minogue Pops One on Stefan Raab.

One thing I can't emphasise strongly enough is to Learn the Language.  Even if you do no more than learn some manners such as Please and Thank You, it's a good way to show respect and make no mistake about how much people appreciate it.  You can waltz about expecting people to speak English but that will only mean you will come back with nothing more than pictures of Here I Am At the Eiffel Tower.

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