The scene that greeted Anadi and I as we arrived at the Pear Tree cafe in Battersea Park last night was of many people gathered together wearing summery clothes, and smiley faces – sitting about with bottles of beer and wine, homemade pizzas and salads, crunching on bags of crisps, dipping crudités of carrot into pots of homemade hummus…
A few celebrated birthday parties; we caught glimpses of bobbing balloons, bottles of bubbles – and every so often the young man singing us songs while strumming his guitar, struck up ‘Happy Birthday to you…’
We all joined in…
The crowd around him near the lake had already started to dance and sing along when the familiar chords struck up and he sang us ‘Sweet Caroline’…
The crowd sprung into even more enthusiastic dancing – singing along, arms waving in the air to the chorus…
‘That song has spanned the 70’s 80’s 90’s 10’s and now the 20’s ‘,Anadi commented… ‘What an energy…’
‘And I was there’! I laughed… ‘I was dancing and singing along at the beginning of it all – in the 70’s… ‘ I turned to my imaginary assembled crowd with ( I would estimate) an average age of around thirty and announced ‘I was there…’
Watching the joy around us, Anadi said… ‘This is what humans love, being together, having fun…’
Yes, I replied with some alcohol and food, we’re easy to please’…
‘And a bit of “Oats and barley”/ “Charlie” here I reckon too’ Anadi winked…
‘All of it part of the tapestry of life, our connection with one another, all of us journeying alone together…’
I continued to watch the atmosphere rising as Sweet Caroline reached a crescendo – the energy around tangible…
‘I have read how tortured he (Neil Diamond) was’ I said to Anadi… ‘How guilty he felt for the end of his marriages, how we was working a lot out in his songs; how he engaged in ten years of therapy and found ease and happiness with the wife he is with now…’
We continued to enjoy sitting, enjoy the joy he has brought through his expression, his creativity, himself in motion, working things out, expressing, sharing himself, throughout his life journey…
I have also read how he embraced his diagnosis of Parkinson and feels good in himself now, even though he has retired from his life of touring…
Working everything out
He’s been working everything out throughout his life, and has done so in the spotlight of public fame…
Around his music tonight were gathered a few hundred young people…
Having fun…
But no doubt working things out too…
We’re all here living things out, working things out, round we go…
It’s not different for others, whether they seem to ‘have it all’ in terms of success, looks, fame even…
We’re all consciousness experiencing form, having the opportunity through our body and our mind to work things out, to heal and free ourselves from inner pain, torture, guilt, any low vibration energies that spoil the joy of living…
To fly free as birds,
And know that the cage door was always open, we just needed to se, to understand, to spread our wings…
To fly and truly dance and sing in every moment…
Alcohol, music, drugs – in fact anything at all – can all be part of our investigation – or they can be a distraction…
Opportunities to reflect and become aware, or to turn away from who we are…
It is our choice
We all tread different paths.
We are all experiencing different things together alone
But within us all is the potential for bliss
To remember who we truly are
To experience the joy of being alive…
And create our experiences from this place
Breath by breath
By breath