Where Eagles Fly…

Blog_Bi-polar — Sun, 30 Jun 2024 16:56:50 +0000

Every day this world teaches me that life is too short. We never know how long we have left to roam this planet and we never know what hurdles may appear in front of us that might stop us from living a life that we can truly appreciate. A few months ago I made a vow to myself that if circumstances permitted me to do something I would love to do, then I would try my best to make that happen. I had an English teacher in secondary school who was a big fan of the Eagles and when he was telling the story of a concert he’d been to, I have always remembered him saying that the band were amazing musicians, but they didn’t get along and had to be flown separately in private jets whenever they had to do a show together. Now, I don’t know if that’s true because any snippets I’d seen of them playing on TV, they always looked as if they were getting along just fine. I viewed the Eagles as being a band too far out of my reach. I believed that I would never be able to warrant paying the cost of a ticket, never mind be in a position to pay for one. So when the 4th June came around and I had a ticket in my hand for The Long Goodbye tour, I was pretty much the definition of… …the Kat that got the cream. I don’t know if anyone reading this knows who the Eagles are or if they know any of their songs, but this isn’t just about music; for me this concert was about sharing something with Mum. It was about coming through a lifetime of misfortune mixed with those momentary flashes of joy you wish they sold behind the counter in Boots! When I was in hospital in 2011, all I had in my possession was a little personal radio that I could plug my earphones into. I found five radio channels and each station played a different genre of music. There was Pop, Rock, Older Rock, 80s/90s Pop and Classical. Each station had one or two songs that my tortured Bipolar brain clung to and I would sit for hours flicking through each station waiting for a specific song to come on. When “Take it to the Limit” came on by the Eagles it brought a whole new meaning to that song. I don’t know what the band intended the lyrics to mean but for me, it was about being in hospital. It was about finding a way through the darkness of being in a psychiatric ward and coming through the other side into a brighter world. Take it to the Limit At the concert I wanted to film the band singing that song because thirteen years later, I am in a brighter world. Even when I’ve had those dark days; these days, the brighter ones outshine the bad. I know people will say… “You don’t need to film it, you should just enjoy the moment.” Well yes, I see your point. But when you’re sat on a psychiatric ward for weeks on end with only five channels on a personal radio for entertainment and your lifeline is one song… let me tell you now, I wanted to have Take it to the Limit on my phone so I could remind myself as each day passes, that I am not the same person I was back then. I am not peering out of the window of my room, looking at the metal fence, too tall to climb, thinking… “Is this it? Is this my limit?” Because the truth is, there is no limit, not really. Even when people say… “The sky’s the limit…” That’s not necessarily true either, because who knows where the sky begins and where it ends? Who gets out their measuring tape? Over the last few months I’ve been given the opportunity to do more talks at work than I have done in the last four years, and I love being back in the driver’s seat. As each talk has got bigger in capacity I have reminded myself of what my initial intention was ten years ago. I told myself, that if I was going to speak in public and tell people a story, then I would only do it if I was going to do it well. Being just “okay” was not enough, being “okay” wouldn’t make people remember what I’ve been through and it certainly wouldn’t make people remember me!” So I went back to the beginning. I got in touch with my good friend Richard McCann and I booked myself on to his Storytelling Retreat in Leeds, 21st to 23rd June 2024. Oulton Hall, Leeds It was three days in luxurious surroundings, fine dining, good company and intensive training on how to stand, deliver, and tell your truth. Oulton Hall was out of this world, tall ceilings, chandeliers (you all know how much I love a good chandelier), I had a suite! With a bed twice the size of my own at home, a walk-in shower as well as a separate bath, big sink, wide mirror, massive TV, a desk to set up my laptop on. I had a coffee table to accompany my sofa and armchair, and to put the icing on the cake that already had far too many tiers… I had a fridge and free flowing tea and coffee! Winning! The suite! There was a spa with a pool that was at my disposal so I went swimming every single day. As I sat in my suite, in the centre of the biggest bed I have ever seen, I thought to myself… “This is the only time I will ever get to experience something like this.” I promised myself I would get the most out of the weekend. I would follow Richard’s guidance, I would write down everything I needed to remember, and I would...

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Where Eagles Fly…