REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL
(from 'The Driffield Leader,' May 2008)
When I was offered a spot in the ‘Driffield Leader,’ I spent several days wondering what to write. It needed to be something useful, something of relevance to everyone, and something entertaining as well. Then I realised that the one thing everyone needs, once in a while, is a bit of cheering up – and with that in mind, I dreamt up this list. A list of ten reasons for you to wake up tomorrow morning with a big grin…or failing that, for you to feel a little bit happier right here and now. I’ll take either.
#1 - Music. It’s a funny old thing, music. CD’s are a bit like girlfriends, in my experience – some people just have one or two, and some people have hundreds of them, in a cupboard. However, everyone has at least one song out there that can bring a smile to their face, whether it’s the latest chart-topping dance hit, or a lovely bit of Burt Bacharach – and the existence of this song, whatever it is, is my first reason for you to be cheerful. Music may not be that important in the grand scheme of things, but I think we can all agree that the world would be a lot poorer without it.
(Incidentally, if the title of this article made you think of Ian Dury, award yourself ten music points.)
#2 - Your home. They say material things can’t make you happy, but I don’t think they would extend that to the roof over your head. Besides, ‘home’ is more of an emotional response than an actual thing – it’s having a place to call your own, somewhere you feel, well, at home. You may not like everything about your home, but since it’s yours, you are free to do something about it, to make it better! The possibilities alone might be enough to improve your mood - but if not, you will certainly feel cheerful once you get your little living space just the way you want it.
#3 - Yourself. ‘The only person who is with you your entire life, is yourself.’ Mums often come out with stuff like this, and while I’ll admit it doesn’t seem too likely, they might be onto something. You are your own best friend, the one person you can always trust, and whatever you might think sometimes, that person is pretty great. I mean, just think for a second about your favourite books and films, and the things you choose to do in your spare time. That’s right! Your taste is impeccable. And the great thing is, whatever you do to that person, they will always be there. I think that’s quite a cheering notion.
#4 – Nature. This reason might not work for everyone. There are people out there who could see a family of hedgehogs, snuffling about in some leaves, or the first steps of a newborn lamb, and think ‘what a load of rubbish. I can’t believe I missed X Factor for this.’ But for everyone else, I don’t think I need to explain why this should make you cheerful - nature is pretty darn awesome.
#5 – Your health. This definitely won’t work for everyone. Pretty much all of us have some kind of health problem, and it will be a very rare (and lucky) reader who feels completely healthy right now. If that is you, then well done! There’s your reason to be cheerful. But for everyone else, just think – however ill you are, you could always be more ill. Just try, for a minute, to think about the bits of you that are still in working order. (There must be some.) And afterwards, when you’ve thought about them all, you might just feel a little bit more cheerful!
#6 – Smiling. I’m digressing slightly here, but when I smile, I find myself becoming more cheerful. Particularly if other people are around, as they often smile back – despite themselves, sometimes. So give it a try right now. Let yourself have a little bit of a smile. Smiling is what you do when you are happy, and so if you’re smiling now, you must be happy! Hooray!
#7 – The fact that I was able to think of ten separate reasons for you to be cheerful, in about five minutes. And I don’t even know you! (Unless I do, in which case – hi there.) You might argue that this one, and #6, were kind of cheating, but the rest are 100% solid. I promise.
#8 - Other people. ‘All you need is love,’ according to John Lennon, and so of course, if you have people who love you, you won’t be needing this section at all. You’ll already be cheerful. But even without love, just think for a second – is there someone you like out there? Could you pick up the phone right now, and have a lovely chat with them? If you can, I think that’s quite a cheering thought. Perhaps you should.
#9 - Where you live. ‘The best bit of the country,’ Jeremy Clarkson once said, ‘is to be found by going to Hull and turning left; up through Driffield and on towards Scarborough and Filey.’ What he’s saying, if you missed that, is that you personally are living in the best bit of the country – not choked with fumes and smoke, but not choked by tourists either. Jeremy meant the area as a whole, but Driffield itself is a lovely place too, with its little streams, friendly people, and regularly-spaced postboxes. I defy anyone to take a walk, down by the canal, on a bright sunny day, and not feel more cheerful immediately - particularly if you get yourself an ice-cream as well.
#10 - The future. The world may not be perfect, but I like to think it’s getting better all the time. Thanks to the news, we hear about every problem and difficulty going on out there - but this is a reason to be cheerful in itself! Knowing a problem exists is the first (and most important) step in solving it, and now we know, we can get working on them. And next time someone tells you about the ‘good old days,’ remember that almost all the crimes happening today (with the exception of internet fraud!) were also happening a hundred years ago. It’s just that then, you wouldn’t have heard about them.
Not particularly cheerful so far, this point - but to take a simple example, every week there are people out in Africa, digging wells to give villages access to clean, fresh water. Stands to reason, then, that one day they will have done that for every village, and on that day the problem will be solved. It’s almost inevitable that the world will keep getting better, and you know what? That makes me cheerful.
If you can think of any more reasons - or if you’d like to offer me a column in your prestigious national publication - you can get in touch through my website, which you’ll find at www.jamiemcgarry.com. Oh, and thanks for reading!
