The seeds of friendship can be found in the most unlikely places
and, when nurtured well, can grow into a thing of beauty, strength and
compassion. Back in our playground days, we fell in and out of friendship
frequently according to who wanted to join in the latest game or craze with us:
French skipping with the athletic girls, swinging clackers, joining in bundles
on the playing field or racing to complete a Rubik’s cube. The rules of
friendship were somewhat blurred at the time and on the whole, falling out one
day could be repaired and forgotten about by the end of the week. Sometimes,
amongst all this you might find a best friend and a few people kept these for a
long time – perhaps even counting a playground pal amongst their adult circle
of friends.
My experience has been that I have a couple of friends that were
made at secondary school or university who I keep in touch with and others who
have become friends through work circles. However, it is my hobby which has
brought me to a place of developing friendships that run a little deeper. A
weekly drama group which combines a collection of people of different ages and
backgrounds in a common goal to rehearse, perform and support each other in
their hobby. Something about the process of drama is inspirational. People who
would never normally meet in other social circles, cross-generational and with
all different talents working together for the common goal of putting on a show.
I’ve seen people go from shy, anxious individuals perhaps coming along to help
out backstage, to standing proudly in a spotlight giving everything they have
to their performance, their self-confidence soaring.
Friends I have made through this group have been there for me
through personal tragedy, difficult days at work and stressful situations as
well as being part of celebrations, fun times and achievements. Perhaps there
is something about being part of a creative process together that helps the
social bonding – sharing the workload involved in putting on a show, learning
your lines and moves together and standing as one as a cast on stage to receive
the audience response. It is true that friendships have grown here over the
last decade or so and the group is such that we both work and play together –
choosing to meet up outside the constraints of weekly rehearsals, with karaoke
featuring often as an opportunity for a good laugh as we sing, dance and –
let’s be honest – drink together.
Within the long and complex process of putting on a show, we all
have different strengths and weaknesses but I have been touched by the small
acts of kindness shown to one another to help out with a task, go over a scene
where someone may be struggling and mostly in valuing the efforts that each of
us are making. In fact, it is at drama that I was inspired by the kindest lady
I have had the privilege to know. A gentler, more unassuming person you would
be hard pushed to find and the joy of seeing her go from a timid chorus member
to commanding the stage dancing with a feather boa to ‘Hey, Big Spender’ is a
memory I shall treasure forever.
To look back on this highlight is to confront thoughts of her
untimely passing just 4 days before she was due to join us on stage for our
annual pantomime. A devastating blow to the group to lose such a core part of
the group and such a special lady, it was a remarkable measure of the strength
of the group working together to support each other in a way we never felt
possible. The old adage is that the show must go on, and indeed her family were
adamant that the group should do exactly that, but they were the hardest
performances we have ever done.
The group has moved on in many ways since, with new members who
never had the opportunity to know her, taking centre stage. This is rightly so,
as a group is more than any one individual part of it and the nature of this
type of group is that it changes and develops with each new venture that it
begins. Though, the best bits of her personality linger with those of us who
shared a stage with her and there are times when I have felt that she has
joined us back there – who knows?
So yes, I lost a special friend and I discovered depths of
character amongst other friends in dealing with this. This is why the friendship
I refer to has a strength and meaning beyond that of those playground past
times. But by referring to this dark episode, I don’t mean to belittle the
contribution that others have made to my life – others who have walked into my
group and life since this time. For a friend is not measured by the length of
time that they have stood by your side but rather by the impact they have had
upon you. Some friends tread a path together tentatively, gradually growing in
their shared experiences to find themselves in a place where they realise just
quite how much they need each other. Some friends have a presence that’s more
immediate, taking you by surprise in how quickly you find yourself seeking
their opinions, valuing their advice and noticing how aspects of your life are
better for having known them.
It all comes down to kindness – in a busy world where everyone has
to be somewhere, meeting a deadline, sorting out a list of chores and
responsibilities, it can feel as if everyone is caught up in their own selfish
endeavours. So when you find someone who can put that on hold, even for a
moment to do something for another person, show a little kindness of heart,
then that’s worth celebrating. I am very lucky to have found several people who
are happy to share their kind hearts and karaoke evenings with me.
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