Take life by the horns & run with it!
TV and radio presenter Gaby Roslin reminds us all why we should change saying I can’t to I can!
‘No matter how awkward you might feel, do it!’
Iwonder what age I need to get to when I can stop saying, ‘How can it be (pop in any month here) again?’, or, ‘Where has this year gone?’ I know it’s an age thing, but goodness me – blink and it’ll be October 2023 before we know it.
The other day I did something I haven’t done in years: I played rounders. A group of solicitors were playing in the park near their offices and they called me over. The reason I know they were solicitors is they told me – I didn’t just guess!
I had a moment of remembering being the one at school who was never chosen for this sport. It was always so horrid. I could hit the ball and I could run, no problem, but I was the shy clown! I was the one who’d play any game to make people laugh. I was the person who’d run towards the net when playing tennis, only to fall over it to make people giggle.
So, when this group shouted out my name and called me over, I was scared, but I thought, why not? They handed me the bat, I took up my position, with a huge smile on my face trying to hide my worry. I saw the ball coming towards me and guess what? I hit that ball and it flew quite far. I squealed and ran. I scored a rounder, waved bye-bye and then left. They couldn’t have been nicer and asked me if I wanted to keep playing, but even though I’d have loved to, I had to get to work. The whole experience was really liberating. So, no matter how shy and awkward you might feel, my message is, do it! Life is far too short, so take it by the horns and run with it.
The other thing I learned about recently is the ‘tuneless choir’. How brilliant does that sound? You simply turn up and belt out songs and no one says you’re out of tune or you can’t join in. I know I keep going on about singing and how good it is for you, but this way you can do it. You can sing and just let your inhibitions go. We should all be given the chance to do these things without being judged.
Last night, my daughters were asking me what posters I’d had on my walls when I was little. It was The Osmonds (especially Donny) and dolphins and whales when I was very young, and then The Police and posters of the musicals I loved as I got older. My girls have never had posters like that on their walls and, apparently, none of their friends have either. I find it sad that the simplest of things aren’t around any more. I’m sure it’s all down to social media and our appetite for faster, ever-changing pictures. I hold my hand up to that, too. I do love a scroll through Instagram. It can be a fun place, so long as it’s used for the right reasons. Now I’d like to chat about vegetables! Can someone tell me why my roasted veg always go sloppy? Top chefs have given me great advice, but no matter what, I cannot get crunchy roast veg! My top tip, though, for added yumminess is Engevita Nutritional Yeast Flakes sprinkled over the veg before cooking (gives it that umami hit), and a shake of garlic powder, a pinch of salt and chilli powder adds to the deliciousness, I promise.