Saturday, March 9, 2013

The Spin And The Shine

Well I thought I had moved into what is euphemistically called a Better Patch, but I might have slithered back a bit.  Not actually into the Pit itself, but none of us (I am talking M.E. obviously) wants to be headed in that direction.  Still - it helps to put a spin on things.  That is probably true for most of us and has the virtue of being good for everyone else as well as oneself.  Some might say it is almost a duty.  In my church-going days (as a practising-because-I'm-crap-at-it-Christian) I liked the part where the priest said, Lift up your hearts!  The congregational response to that is, We lift them to the Lord, but I think just the lifting up in itself is probably good enough, and I bet my best china cake plate that the Lord concurs.  I would say that putting a spin is just doing that, really, and very much hope that it doesn't amount to the same thing as Positive Affirmations, which don't engage the heart and are therefore just lies.  There is no need to positively affirm anything.  Even if you are of the 'Life Is Shit And Then You Die' school,  heart-lift is achievable even if it is in spite of rather than because of.  Nothing wrong with that. 

I recently became Facebook friends with a certain well-known journalist (erstwhile 'hip, young gunslinger' at the NME, to give you a clue).  We don't know each other in RL but have a couple of FB friends in common so I took my chances and she is of a generous disposition.  There are many things to enjoy about her various writings and pronouncements and, speaking for myself, one can use a bit of vicarious cheer now and then, or even on a daily basis.  For a start, she begins each day with Boker TOV, Motekim! which is Hebrew for Good Morning, Darlings!  It somehow works particularly well in the Hebrew and gives a small shine to the moment, even when it is followed by a youtube link to a band singing a song one doesn't share an enthusiasm for.  As she lives in Brighton and loves eating, drinking and good cheer, I had a fleeting fantasy of meeting up with her at English's Oyster Bar, chewing the gossip plus several courses of delicious things and drinking Black Velvet, which is a champagne and Guiness combo the mater introduced me to at Sheekey's (another fish place) in London. You can't let too much reality bleed into a good fantasy so let us assume that I can still drink tankards full of Black Velvet, that I would not be fazed when we were joined by a group of her sparkly-witty friends, and that when I spoke about how I mostly write about sex and death (with the definite emphasis, these days, on death) I would make it sound like the fun kind.  I might also lob in that I was recently long-listed for the National Poetry prize (poem all about someone choosing his coffin), though I suspect that doing this would neither impress nor endear me.  In the end, my inner introvert would fuck things up. I would ask the wrong kind of questions - the kind that lead to dark places, as you'd expect of a sex-and-death merchant - and I would wince if the jokes became too cruel.  Or it would be nine o'clock and I would suddenly turn into a slipperless M.E. pumpkin.  Ah well - fun while it lasted.

But what am I going on about?  For this very evening Mr. Signs and I will be going out to a new gastropub eatery recommended by my friend the Cake Lady, in honour of his successfully reaching another milestone in Shrink-training.  And also, tomorrow being Mothering Sunday, today is Mother's Eve and a fine and proper time to celebrate.  I have already cheated and opened the beautiful card from my daughter, with words that bring a shine to the heart.  Sometimes you don't need the spin.  It's just all there, and manifest. 

Laila tov, motekim.

***

9 comments:

Montag said...

I think I shall get on Facebook, too.
It has been so long since I have talked to anyone in the manner you describe in your Tom Jonesy way: combining ribaldry and classicism and letters.

We should be able to talk and write like Billy Elliott could dance!

Reading the Signs said...

Will you let me know when you join Facebook, Montag? We could be F/B Friends! :)

cakelady said...

As my mother used to say when one was on the mend 'he's up and ating a bit', I'm glad you'll be ating a bit in the very fine gastro tonight on the eve of mother.

Zhoen said...

Spin them plates, until they crash they are amazing. Then they are even more astonishing.

Reading the Signs said...

A bit, Cakelady? I've had about ten thousand calories, not counting the mint crisp that came with the espresso! My psychic feelers tell me that you are also out ating in some other neck of the woods.

Zhoen, that sounds good - I will do exactly that and if anyone objects I'll tellem you advised me :)

Fire Bird said...

fancy you being friends with the unique phenomenon that is Julie Burchill. I am most impressed and intrigued.

Reading the Signs said...

Fire Bird, we are Facebook "friends" - she has over two thousand, so I am one of many :) I just enjoy reading her updates.

Cusp said...

I rather like the idea of you and Julie meeting up to chew the cud, or oyster and down Black Velvet. Maybe you should ask her. Mind you...not sure she'd have much truck with M.E....probably sees it as a middle class malingerer's paradise

Reading the Signs said...

Cusp, I think I'll probably - um - wait for her to ask me :)