Brief encounters

An optimistic vision for 2016

‘I wish I could share all the love that’s in my heart, Remove all the bars that keep us apart.’

Nina Simone’s recording of I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free has to be one of the most uplifting songs I know; an anthem for the civil rights movement of the sixties in the US; a song all about our freedom being bound up with that of our brothers and sisters.

As I made my way on the tube to a New Year’s Eve gathering a few weeks ago, I found myself singing, clapping and clicking this tune at the top of my lungs with two of my best friends, and a few strangers who joined in for a top moment. Who’d have thought a highlight of 2015 would come so late?

Minutes before, a group of guys got on the train dressed in dapper velvet suits. One of them stood before us, wished us a happy new year and shook our hands, a gesture of genuine optimism and bravery in a tube carriage that’s often the scene of avoided glances and strained expressions. His positivity rubbed off and soon we were shaking hands with each other and the next minute singing Nina Simone with joy.

‘I wish I could share all the love that’s in my heart, Remove all the bars that keep us apart.’

I feel like we all have a song. Whether you’re a pro-musician or a strictly-shower-only singer, music brings people together in a unique way, because it expresses the deepest, darkest and most sparkling truths about ourselves, and because it can be shared.

We’re supposed to be connected with each other, yet in today’s world where we’re always rushing from one place to the next and not giving each other the time of day, no wonder people are alienated and lonely. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

‘I wish I could share all the love that’s in my heart; remove all the bars that keep us apart.’

New Year’s Eve is a time of the year where we’re especially aware of one single moment that holds so much fascination, excitement and hope. We’re aware of possibilities and new beginnings as in the blink of an eye we move from one year to the next. How many times do I want to hit the gym every week? Does my local Sainsbury’s sell kale? Who will I kiss at midnight?

Communities big and small, new and old are ultimately built in mere moments; transient opportunities to do something that makes a difference. And on that note I’ve got a resolution, and yes I know it’s almost the end of January, but this one’s for the whole of 2016.

My biggest resolution for the year ahead, and one I’m hoping you might share, is simply to be more present, and try and live each moment with engagement — fully.

‘I wish I could share all the love that’s in my heart; remove all the bars that keep us apart.’

Our days are full of many thousands of moments, and I don’t know about you but far too often I lose my place in the book of life thinking about the next moment, the moment far in the future or that moment two weeks ago; what I should do or should have done.

Mindfulness seems to be everywhere of late — from colouring books to yoga studios, all great ways of being kind to your mind. I’m something of a beginner, but practicing mindfulness can do wonders for your mental health, and the potential for our relationships that living mindfully can bring is remarkable. Mindfulness encourages you to experience the present without judgement, approaching your thoughts and experiences with compassion. With that in mind, we’re a little more free to be kind to ourselves and open to others.

‘I wish I could share all the love that’s in my heart; remove all the bars that keep us apart.’

You can only love in the present moment, and each day we have so many chances to build connections. Rather than the same playlist on repeat on my commute, I could start a conversation with a stranger who seems sad, or really listen to my colleague’s story from the weekend.

If we’re really switched onto conversations and encounters, it’s all love in action; it’s all making us more connected and just like tomorrow is another day, each moment could be the key to a more united world where we can sing (or whisper) our song together.

Hello 2016.