“Summer time and the livin’ is easy” is the first line from “Summertime” from the opera “Porgy & Bess” written by George Gershwin in 1935. The song is a lullaby which is a celebration of the summer.
Hopefully you are getting the chance to celebrate this season and have a more relaxed pace of living as we enjoy summer in the northern hemisphere.
Until next month,
Sinead
Jim Kerr, currently the lead singer of the band, Simple Minds, was born in Glasgow on 9th July 1959 and suffered with speech stammering in his younger years.
He credits this impediment as being a factor in his success as a song writer. When he was young, he was too embarrassed to talk so instead spent his time listening and observing. He thinks those experiences helped develop his imagination and writing skills.
Jim Kerr and his then (and now) best friend, Charlie Burchill, started the band in 1977. Close to 50 years later, they remain together continuing to tour and release new music.
The band, Simple Minds have sold more than 60 million albums. Their most famous song “Don’t You Forget About Me” featured in the 1985 movie, “The Breakfast Club”.
Another of their famous songs was “Belfast Child” released in 1989. It was a ballad reflecting the sadness caused by violence in Northern Ireland. It’s nice to think that this year marks the 25 year anniversary of The Good Friday Agreement which was signed in 1998 to end “The Troubles” mentioned in the Simple Minds song.
Simple Minds are due to announce another tour shortly and whilst I admire their energy and longevity, I can’t help hoping that they get time to rest too.
I have mentioned the newsletter do5ive written by Page Grossman before. Page is a writer and content creator who shares lots of wisdom via her emails.
Recently, she wrote about taking breaks and incorporating rest into our hectic lives. I think that message is very appropriate this month as many of us have holidays from work or school.
As part of her newsletter, Page highlighted 5 things about rest, on which I share my own slant (with some synopsising and paraphrasing).
1.She highlighted the concept of Bare Minimum Mondays (BMM) made popular by TikToker Marisa Jo Mayes.
2.Page advocates that we shouldn’t need to “earn” rest, it is a necessary part of our lives.
3.Taking rest does not mean you are lazy.
4.Trying to make your rest time productive by squashing in loads of hobbies/tasks/socialising etc. actually means it’s not rest time.
5.Rest allows for creativity and allows our imagination to have some freedom
“We need to resist the hustle culture that’s in the water we drink every day.” Page Grossman
“When I’m touring, everything is so structured and I’m surrounded by people all the time, so I love walking on my own in the open air in the countryside..” Jim Kerr
“Take it easy.” Cadbury Caramel Bunny
Sinead Huskisson 