“I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you, one more time again. “
- Fire and Rain - James Taylor
On the last day of 2024 I woke up groggy from poor, interrupted sleep. Having been part of some sort of shift work for the better part of thirty years it was a familiar feeling and I knew I’d be okay by mid-morning provided that I got a NATO round of coffee in me as soon as possible. I had a quick, strong one before grabbing my gear and stepped out into a beautiful Doha day. The city seemed more tranquil than usual and there was only a slight breeze pushing in from the West. I jumped in a taxi and made my way to my friends on the other side of town. Chris and Monique are friends from back home. Chris, also an Air Traffic Controller, became my friend basically from the first day we met back in the control centre many years ago and together with his lovely wife Monique, they’ve been raising their family in Doha. They’ve become my allies, supporters, guides and adopted family here but the roots of our friendship go deep. I’m blessed to have them and their kids in my life. They’ve seen me at my best and perhaps even my worst. Never any judgement, always honest.
We had the truck and kids packed and loaded and we hit the highway to the magnificent, Azerbaijani Beach about an hours drive North of Doha with our friends Tyron and Christina following us in the cool desert morning. Monique organised fresh coffee and sandwiches and with the kids singing “Frozen” theme songs and us laughing and catching up I could feel my heart and soul sluggishly coming back to life. At the beach my new friends Jule and Berna were already waiting and we set up the trucks, gazebos, windbreaker and barbecue. Cold beers magically appeared and after a quick toast, we lit the fire and waded into the shallow, turquoise waters of the Persian Gulf.
I left the lovebirds and families behind for a moment and swam to a sand bank, just out of earshot. The water was perfect and the sting of the sun finally cleared the fog of fatigue from my body. I stood there, another scatterling of Africa and thought of my folks back home. My thoughts wandered to my employees and their families, my friends all over the world, my cows and dogs and for a brief moment I was overcome by the almost unbearable weight and loss I felt about the end of my marriage and love I had lost a few years ago. Another year gone,another year of receding into the distant memory of a person I once thought was my whole world. The festive season does that to me and I am working hard to let it go. I made a point to remember my part in the demise and I repeated the lessons I’d learnt from it to myself. I took a deep sigh and popped into the water and onto my back. I was reminded of just how incredibly lucky and blessed I am. Family and friends that I love, incredible colleagues, great health, an occupation that I can’t imagine my life without and l am fully aware that I am in the top one percentile of the world population who has resources to have options, prospects and dreams. I have absolutely nothing to complain about, apart from my current slow progress in songwriting. But all in good time I guess.
As Tom Petty said in his famous song.. “ it’s time to move on, time to get going. What lies ahead I have no way of knowing. But under my feet baby, the grass is growing. Yeah, it’s time to move on, time to get going “
I’ll be doing just that. I’m hell bent on making the absolute most out of this short movie called life. I’ve got places to see, people to meet and songs and stories to write. I want to talk to my friends, family and strangers and learn from them. I want to chase the sunset and swim in foreign seas. I want to see my songwriting heroes in concert and be a better friend, son, brother and colleague. I am done putting my expectations and ambitions on others. I will hold only myself accountable and I won’t apologise for what I’m feeling and where I’m from. I’ll apologise only for my mistakes and shortcomings. I am happy to be in a state of becoming. As an artist, a farmer and a person. It is my sincere hope and ambition to produce new music and recordings this year and to do a few live shows.
May 2025 bring us all closer together, make us more aware of how similar we all are and teach us humility, grace and tolerance. Thank you for your support.
JB
