My title today is from one of my most favourite songs ever, ‘Inherit the Wind’ written by Perral Ray, and Wilton Felder. Performed by the Crusaders, and the late great Donny Hathaway. I urge you to listen to it, it is on You Tube.

It is a song that has always, always inspired me, and I had forgotten it! A song that could bring tears to my eyes, always, and it still does.

My blog today is about how the small things can make all the difference to someone, especially in difficult times, about always believing, about never giving up.

What made me choose this?

A dear, dear friend, one of the kindest I have ever had, sent me a batch of records this week. They included David Gray, White ladder (that I had mentioned I had lost) and many others; but there was one disc where he had selected various different songs that I had obviously danced to, and sung in his presence over the years.(  I need to stress here that we had been out of touch for over eighteen years up until last year!) He had still remembered all the songs I have loved, and do love, old soul classics. But more than anything he started them with this song, probably because he could remember me singing the words with such passion when I was much, much younger….

“Time keeps coming, and dreams just fade away                                                                                     But the wind still remaining, brings us to a better day                                                                         You can feel it growing, the storm inside of you                                                                                      Inherit the wind, you gotta try my friend, my friend, my friend……

The gesture of sending the recordings to me made me cry, but when I listened to this (as I am now,as I write this post) it brings tears to my eyes.

I took this as a sign. I have let some of my dreams fade, and I need to get them back.

So far this has been a difficult year. I started work as a freelancer and worked over fifteen hours, writing stupid articles with SEO words (Search Engine Optimization) in them and earnt three hundred euros. Except I was scammed, so they took the work but did not pay me!

Add to this that at this time of year it is tough in France, where work is concerned, with little money coming in but large bills landing on the mat: It is a constant trying to heat the house without using too much fuel, (I know people who live here will relate), and on grey days there is a bleakness at times, and it is difficult not to worry, even though you know that worrying is a futile exercise that will get you nothing bur further negative things. (The Tao). I notice that even French people tend to go on holiday. (I did say I would say it warts and all!)

So I was finding it difficult to tap into my subconscious and not allow my mind to wander into the ‘what if’ territory, even though I know that this is crap because everything can change in an instant, and you could spend your last moments worrying about something that is never going to happen! But I could not shift it.

Then my parcel arrived (thank you Tao for showing me what I needed to look at) and I took this as a sign, when this song was the first song that played;  that I should try and follow my dreams, write the bloody book that I have left for months because I have allowed things to get in the way.

It too is a book about my experiences, but experiences that happened some time ago, when I kept a “mad journal” about what was happening to me; it helped me survive and be the person that I am today, stronger.  I know that other people still go through every day, what I went through, and I would have given anything to read about someone else’s madness when it happened to me; to know that I would survive and things would get better.  I hope it will be a book of hope for others in their darkest times.

We have recently featured in a publication in England and our story is now going to appear in another, it is a positive story, a story of hope for others; I need to write my book now, and build on that experience.

So I am writing this post for others who may be feeling the ‘February Blues’ and I hope that it helps and inspires them.

Here is what I think, and some things to consider………

As I have said before I am not one to let things get me down. I am lucky I am able to write. I will look at my scamming experience as an opportunity to learn about SEO’s , and not least to do my homework and look up scams! I have had the opportunity to write about anything that is thrown at me, albeit a hn  of lies in some cases, but it has been an experience.

As I encouraged others to do in my previous post on Autumn I have made myself go out in all weathers with my Welshies, because if you asked someone whose time on earth was limited if they hated the Winter they would say “No!” Because they know that there will be a time when they never smell the rain  again, or feel the cold, or see the fog, or hear the wind, or touch a snowflake, or see the wonderful frosts.

Every day I wake up I say thank you that I have another day, because some people may not have woken up!

Thank you that my seventeen year old cat has another day.

Thank you for my darling husband (no he doesn’t come behind the cat!), thank you for my beautiful dogs, my gorgeous cats.

Thank you for all the people who care about me. Not least the wonderful friends like Russell.

We take too much for granted, and remember, when you are looking forward to the spring weather who is to say you will see it?  So don’t forget about the hear and now.The saying is so true, live each day as if it were your last.

But spring is coming, you can smell it in the air, you can see it in the blue of the sky, and the snowdrops are out, they never give up, they always have hope.

So I am going to pick myself up, and this afternoon Rich and I are going to have a couple of glasses of wine, and dance to the songs that Russell sent me. After I have reviewed my book and written some pages on it of course!

“Don’t you know life if for living                                                                                                                   Your destiny is sure                                                                                                                                           like the colours of the rainbow                                                                                                                      that over time and time endures……………..

Thank you the Crusaders, and the late great Donny Hathaway, and  Wilton Felder, and Perral Wilton. They do say that music is food for the soul.

Be inspired, start make your dreams come true next week

‘If you can keep your head when all above you are losing theirs, you shall  inherit the wind…’

Moisy