Big Ideas

Three weeks ago I was walking across Sydney Harbour Bridge at the end of my two week trip to New Zealand – home via Australia. It was a glorious winter day and I knew that in less than an hour I had to tear myself away from that beautiful city after not nearly long enough. I was enjoying every step and the changing vista, soaking it all in, promising myself I would return one day for longer than a brief visit. I stopped to take this photograph and at that moment the seed of a plan I’d had back in England about teaching dance and movement, suddenly seemed huge and very exciting. I was stopped in my tracks, overwhelmed by a Big Idea! 

I used to spend a lot of time in Ireland and was always aware of how different life was there. One of the things that struck me most – maybe only amongst the people I hung out with was the prevalence of big ideas. These always popped up in conversation, quite casually as we sat round the kitchen table after eating. How great it all seemed at the time as drink flowed and the night moved towards morning – full of energy, passionate argument, possibility – a brave new world. God I loved those nights! I was once talking to an Irish friend about how different from the rather more sedate conversations - even drunken ones – round the table back home. ‘Oh yes,’ she said. ‘It’s all great here in Ireland, but nothing ever changes. It’s all forgotten next morning and nobody ever does anything.’
Well I’m sure that’s not entirely true – but it made me think how easy it is to have ideas, and how hard, even mundane, the work to follow them through.
            
It was a great feeling as I stood on the bridge that morning in Sydney, a kind of drunken happiness, a sense that everything is possible and achievable however outrageous. Back home I’ve taken some time to come down to reality. Has life indeed changed? In some subtle way it seems to have done. I’m sure now that
my idea isn’t nearly as big as warranted such expansive explosion of energy. But maybe that’s not the point. It’s more about integrating that joyous madness as it felt at the time – bringing it into the body and psyche, into everyday life. And part of that is to explore the idea for what it might be worth – to do the
hard work of manifesting something. 

Today I will begin.