On Tuesday evening Mr SG and I went to see Kylie in Birmingham except, to start off with, we went to the wrong venue in Birmingham - a venue which isn't strictly in Birmingham at all - but rather one which is near the airport.
As we were driving out of the City we noticed the traffic and commented to one another on how there must be something happening in the City that night to cause the hold up. We even discussed how it had taken Mr SG 40 minutes to get home that evening because "something was going on" and still the penny didn't drop. In fact the penny didn't drop until we reached the "other" venue and there wasn't any traffic at all. Then I actually read the tickets and we did a very quick about turn.
What I've realised about those nights out is that they often act as a time for reflection. Yes, you're listening to the music but as well as that there's time to process the things that you don't get time to think about otherwise.
During the concert I looked at Kylie. As well as noticing the miracle of her walking and dancing in ridiculously high shoes and in getting up from a kneeling position without a wince in sight, I noticed her long curly hair and how it had grown back after her chemotherapy. I remember exactly where I was when I heard that she had been diagnosed with cancer - standing in a lift going to the 22nd floor of the building where I worked at the time.
[See, we got there in the end!]
And I remember exactly where I was sitting just a few months ago, when my Mum told me that a girl from school had been diagnosed with cancer. A diagnosis of cancer is never a right thing but this just felt so wrong. On every single level it felt wrong.
There's not much that I can do to help - I'm not a doctor or a miracle worker and I don't live near - but I can run (of a fashion!) and in just over a week I am running the Birmingham half marathon. Via a friend I asked the girl from school which charity she would like me to fund raise for and she said Cancer Research UK.
And that was what I reflecting on when watching Kylie. Should I mention it on here and ask people for sponsorship? And then I concluded that I would. The blog is generally my voice and sometimes it's good to give someone else a voice.
This morning, my running vest arrived and I took it as a sign that it was time to take action, so here is the link to my Just Giving page for anyone who would like to sponsor me. It's taken me until now to work out how Just Giving works and you know it's really handy because it's just like buying a piece of clothing online - something most of us are pretty good at!
We all have huge demands on our resources whether it be time, money, energy, or all three, and many will have commitments to other charities. But for anyone who feels like sparing a few pennies or pounds, I would really, really appreciate it. And so too, I am sure, would the girl from school.
