(still) Alive and Kicking

“news of my death are greatly exaggerated” – as Mark Twain once said. A phrase that unexpectedly entered my life over the last few weeks. It transpired that someone with a very similar name to me (indeed also often referred to as Mike P) had died playing squash. We had both played at the same club for many years until it closed down in 2023 and we all went our seperate ways. So that’s tragic right – even more so when you hear that Dave who he was playing at the time died 2 weeks later after playing squash. Anyway for a couple of days I noticed a few odd things happening – old friends checking out my Linked-In profile – stuff like that. One friend contacted me the morning following his death – saying ‘everyone’s heard it was you – until we saw you’d commented on a Facebook post’.

The whole thing spun me out a little bit – two contemporaries passing so close to each other – playing the sport we’ve all enjoyed for decades. So I went for a few blood and cholestrol tests (all good). But also the bigger questions about mortality, endings and communication. For weeks afterwards I found myself having really odd conversations with people I bumped into walking the dog, or in the changing rooms explaining ‘no it wasn’t me – I’m still here’. It was quite touching to see the relief on many people’s faces and hear it in their voices. Perhaps the oddest moment was at the final Whitehawk game of the season when I just heard “f*** me – we’d all heard you were dead – my dad will be so pleased when I tell him”.

The other odd thing whuch was striking was the influence (I think) that modern life and communication forms as had. My relationship with most of the people affecrted was through sport – we had what’s app groups to arrange games and arrange social nights out etc. No-one had my landline number – or indeed Jenny’s number. So when one friend said ‘your poor wife must have been inundated with calls’ – I just said ‘nope -not one. Weird eh’.

So – here I am – health checked, ready to go and still trying to make a difference. We say a final farewell to Dave next week.

Work has been intense – 3 projects starting to move towards their close. All documents likely to be published by the end of June – but feedback on first draft was incredibly gratifying. “I’ve just read the intro and exec summary but had to message you. The framing, the sensitivity, the positioning and language – it’s brought a tear to my eye – we’re up for the challenge”.

The request framing this engagement was to bring to life through narrative and stories all of the data they held regarding children and young people’s alcohol and drug provision.

So we’ll take that as initial feedback.

Outside of work – we are heading towards the end of May – the best month of the year to live in Brighton. The main festival directed by Anoushka Shankar took place – as did the annual Great Escape music festival which my youngest described as ‘literally dad’s highlight if the year’. It’s at times like that when I feel most privileged to live in Brighton, to have such a good community of friends and family and really lucky to have the cash to make the most of it’. It wasn’t always like that – and it might not be again. But life’s short and when there’s so much going on the world that is so so depressing – catching the moments of joy when you can seems ever more poignant.

As Anoushka reminds us ‘life goes in circle – it’s not linear’.

And of course if that wasn’t enough – Spurs only went won something. 17 years after I watched Woodgate smash in the winner against Chelsea off his nose. After 17 years of nearly being a good team, of failing at the final hurdles, of the worst ever Premier League season, of being Spursy all the bloody time. They only went and did it.

So my week last week went: The Great Escape, Spurs win Europa, Nadine Shah and Anoushka Shankar.

Tricky to think of a better week.