I have taken this quote from Ivy Baker Priest, Treasurer of the United States from 1953 – 1961. It seemed appropriate bearing in mind we witnessed a new beginning in the USA last week. Some people, when they speak inspire you with confidence, and not to take anything away from President Joe Biden, who despite the many millions who voted alternatively, spoke with honesty and truth. But, the words of Youth Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman rang out loud and clear. She had presence and passion and sometimes that is all we want!

We want to believe those who lead us, and it is all too easy to dismiss the message when we don’t have trust. But trust is important, and we can and will bear anything when we trust the message. Sadly, the message, and from all quarters has lacked that single most important strand.

Those who stand to run the country are elected by us and we can argue that the system isn’t ‘right’, but it is the one we have, so we have to take some responsibility in that decision. It’s very easy to say well I didn’t vote for that or this, but we have to believe that together we can find a way through. Sometimes, I believe we vote for change, simply because we are fed up with the ‘old’ so want the ‘new’. Even when the new may not actually be what we really want! But we fight against the system and in time we will make another decision about our leaders and believe that at the time it is the right one!

I was raised by my Grandmother, who taught me right from wrong; to be respectful; to be honest and truthful; and to always aspire to being better than I am. I have always tried to live by those values. I am sure I have fallen by the wayside at times, but those I trust have helped me through. Trust is about being able to count upon those you rely and at the moment we must rely upon each other. There is no room for negativity or doubt. Yes, by all means question and hold people to account, but do it properly. Do it, with the eye on the goal of being honest and true and being trusted and let’s make this the beginning and not the end!

I have begun to realise that once I have a purpose there is no stopping me and I attack it with real determination and energy. But it is easy for me to feel as if none exist and at that point I simply stop and seem to go round in circles. I have been very good at finding things to do outside of all of my online activities, but I am one of those people who likes to fill almost every minute of the day with an activity or purpose. At times I have craved for the routine that once existed, but at the same time enjoy the routine that I have created at home. But I do miss ‘real’ interaction.

I decided to do a little bit of sorting out this weekend and the satisfaction this brought was really uplifting. I also found things that I thought were lost, which resulted in doing things that I had been putting off for so long. One of the most rewarding was find photographs of concerts, musicals, plays that I had conducted or performed in and tis brought back so many positive memories. I shall be posting some of these on Twitter over the next few weeks.

It has also been another weekend of news watching and it struck me how easy it is these days, especially through social media to do the wrong thing. An inappropriate tweet, a mis-judged post on Facebook, the wrong photo on Instagram, a thoughtless comment in response to an interview or an action that really needed to be avoided. But it happens all the time and I really do question whether those making these errors actually think at all about the repercussions or whether I am so naive that I fail to realise that it is all done on purpose. Well, they do say that ‘bad publicity is better than no publicity at all.’

So, the week ahead holds more than one purpose, so for the time being I am energised and happy. I hope you are too!

That’s the simple message for today. It’s harder than we think and there are so many hidden issues that people are having to deal with on a daily basis. But we must keep going! It is difficult to keep positive when the media is so full of negative stories and what if scenarios. I know those who are making the decisions need to be accountable, but it has to be done in a measured way. It is the responsibility of everyone in a leadership role to unite and not divide, but division seems to be ‘on trend’ at the moment. I have played my part this weekend, and indeed throughout, have stayed at home, and I want to be able to emerge from this knowing that I did the right thing. But what is the right thing? There is so much mixed messaging from all quarters. Being clear and transparent in an ever-changing situation isn’t easy, but there are those who choose to make the messaging obtuse, who choose not to listen, who choose to make an individual stand. More than ever, we have to be one, we have to work together, we have to at least try!

Music has been a great comforter these past few months and I have had music in my life almost every day. It has given me solace when needed and has motivated me too. It has given me a purpose and urged me to keep going. It has given me a backdrop to work against and helped to give me focus and a routine.

There is a tremendous sense of positivity in the choral world, which is fired by the need to keep us together and to keep us singing!

However, the outlook for the professional musician doesn’t look so rosy with changes to the ways in which work can be undertaken. I suppose in time the truth will out.

But for now, try and find the positive in your life. Even the smallest thing can help to banish doubts and to provide that little ray of sunshine.