What if every life was precious?

If I asked you if you thought this was true, you would answer of course! Of course they are! No-one should die! I mean we wouldn’t want to seem mean, you’d probably be telling the truth too – you don’t want anyone to die. But then people do. People die every second in this year – in this supposedly modern era we have people dieing of starvation all over the world including England. How are we so bad at organising our money that people can sit on 30k of benifits without working and others have no help at all. What if every life meant something? But it doesn’t – nobody cares really.

Cooper,

Something to say.

I am a strong believer that you should only talk if you have something to say. Communication is a skill and this is a huge part of it. And now I do, have something to say. I think the book ‘One Day’ is brilliant, and I strongly recommend you read it! It’s tragically sad but still brilliant. I normally have a place for sad books, and that isn’t my book shelf but this one broke the mould. This isn’t a book review blog but some things are just worth sharing. Currently I’m reading The Remains of the Day – it’s about a butler who embarks on an adventure through West Country. It’s so proper! It is refreshing to read such perfect English – if only people around here could talk like that! It’s all ‘innits’ and ignorant ‘what?!’ instead of pardons. Another skill of communication is that once you have something to say, say it properly.

Cooper,

Alcohol

I don’t drink. I’m only young but as of yet, I have decided I don’t like drinking. I once went out with my best friend to a family party and there was a free bar there, obviously this was the perfect time for me to try a drink, mainly because it was free and I refused to waste money on the equivalent of sheet music. I had a couple of vodka cokes, but after a triple vodka coke I’d had enough. I’d had drinks before at barbecues and such, the odd swig at a friends party or out of my friends glass but this was the first time I felt tipsy, and I wasn’t even acting it. I decided I didn’t like drinking, I hated the feeling of not being in complete control. Funny thing is I’m not even a control freak, I don’t need everything in its proper place, things to go exactly my way or be in charge of a group team. I can follow orders quite easily, but my own body, my own head. I didn’t like it. Surely, this decision wouldn’t falter? Why would simply living the student life make me change my mind? I have a couple of friends around me that smoke often but I have never even tried one because I don’t like the smell.
Am I wrong? Will I ever be so drunk I’ll be lying in the gutter with my knickers on show? Can my opinion change so easily because of group pressure? No, it can’t. I honestly believe I will never come round to the idea of not being in my right mind.

Cooper,

Gasp

I wonder why our immediate instinct when we fall or get a shock or jump from a loud sound is to gasp for air, take a deep intake of breath. Is it because the brain immediately needs more oxygen to keep up with the adrenaline rush, or is it just something that doesn’t need to be explained – one of those mysteries, like why you can’t open your eyes when you sneeze. When you see something bad happen to someone else of all a sudden your immediate reaction, almost reflex again is to gasp. How is that complimentary to survival? How is that benificial to our species? I know not everything has to be but such a strong isntinct like that must have a reason…

Cooper,

Natural beauty.

Fewston reservoir on the oustkirts of Harrogate is an amazing place. It is an AONSB so I’m told and really lives up to that name. The water itself is a picture to behold and you can see it from every angle, when walking through the trees that surround it. Today I got the amazing gift of time. Time with someone I love.

Earlier I blogged about the concept of love. How I had a certain hunger for it because it is new and unknown to me. I once heard in a film that everyone goes looking for love because it is the closest thing we have to magic – I thought this made sense because there are so many millions of songs about falling in love, so many novels, scripts, paintings, sculptures and websites all surrounding love, the experience of it and wanting to find it. I’d never really been that bothered, it was just another experience on my list of things to try… which may seem cold hearted to some but that was the way I thought. I met up with a boy with no intention of starting a serious relationship. Our first date was at the cinema, going to go see the A- Team. It was a fantastic film, granted. I also walked out of the cinema in the same mindset. But then the weekend following he invited me to the beach. This was a catcher because the beach, for a start is my favourite place (and I could do a whole other blog on the sea and how powerful and amazing that is, but thats for another day) and it was with someone who apparently I seemed to be having fun with. He can drive so we met at Leeds train station, flipped a coin to decide which coast and drove.  Since spending that day with him an attachment with him has just grown.

And now, here we are, taking romantic walks around an amazing reservoir, declaring how much fun it would be to live with one another. Not a lot could be much better. Being with a person is one thing, but somehow it grows when you are in an amazing place as well. It sets the atmosphere at the same time making the mood between us a little different and thats when it starts to feel like magic, I could have stayed there forever. We left our phones, our commitments, our whole responsibilities behind. Our busy lives waiting for us in the promise of tommorow – but it was the present that mattered, and the cliche line: the promise of tomorrow, bairly even made a  peep.  Besides, the future looks quite good. Walks around amazing reservoirs that have a life of their own with a boy I’m falling for. It isn’t half bad.

Cooper,

Music

As a general thing, music is far more popular and ranged than it has ever been before now, I think. I haven’t ever asked one person if they like music and heard the answer ‘no’. I care for music deeply, I play piano for hours on end each day and I play guitar, and I listen to music and I learn about its history and sources and how it came to be the way it is. But then that’s different to liking music, it’s my passion, it’s what I do – what you associate me with when you are recalling me to your memory. Music now seems to be part of everyones life because it is so accesable to everyone.

Cooper,

Differences.

I am lucky in that the person I’m particularly talking about doesn’t normally read my blogs, and I’m sure he wouldn’t relate to this anyway. I am talking about my thoughts per usual in the hope that you relate to them or failing that, gives you an insight into someone else’s head. That has always been my aim.
Today I felt the need to talk about differences in people, this is what makes the world up. The similarities and differences between us all. The main difference that stands out from me and other people is where their thoughts lie. Mine lie in the ‘now’, in the present. I think about tomorrow only in the way that helps me decide the things I have to of today. Whereas others have such an amazing future ahead of them that their heads are totally set in their future because they are so excited about it! These people are few but lucky, not a lot of people appreciate the promises of tomorrow. And it’s refreshing. The downside of this is that if you know a person like this and you are scared of the future, you have to be brave. Because they are going to move on, into their amazing sunset, whilst I stay in the twilight. But of course you have to accept that because you can’t take away that persons amazing future, and you’re definitely not going to be there in this spectacular place. So yes, bravery is definitely on the table, thats the future I see.

Cooper,

‘Me’ time.

Sometimes in life you need a time out. A place to go. Most people would agree with this, most strongly and say they need their time for themselves. Personally I disagree. I believe you need a person to see, that being the sanctuary. Sometimes a thing to do, in my case that would be my piano or reading. But a place… just sitting doing nothing – not my thing. ‘Me’ time is not a thing I need because all the things I enjoy, I enjoy just as much with the people around me that I love. Time by myself is the worst way to spend time, I can’t stand it. I end up texting (the lowest form of communication) or ringing someone. There isn’t a time on earth yet where I have needed to be on my own. Perhaps that is my naive side coming through, I hope not.

Cooper,

There’s Always A Piano

Whenever you see a musical film about people tryin to get famous or someone trying to ‘make it’ I always look at the person playing the backing. In every situation there is a ‘piano player’. Someone who is in the background but is helping the principle roll. I wouldn’t mind being the typical pianist. He may just have a nice content life. Wife? Kids? We know he has a job. Do you ever think of the person in the background? What about their life? They may not be famous or well known but they must have some incredible stories to share. I’d rather have that conversation personally. There’s always a piano.

Cooper,

The future

In my opinion you should go through life either looking forward to something good or doing that thing you’ve been looking forward to. So I always have something in my future set to look forward to, but I heard a story today that made me realise what it really means to look forward to something. There is a father fighting in Afghanistan and he was supposed to come home on Saturday and that is what his sons are looking forward to. But he’s coming home early for Friday instead. The school and his wife have arranged for the two boys to come out of the same classroom door to get suprised by their Dad picking them up from school. This story fair touched me and even I’m excited about Friday just because I know something that awesome is happening.

Cooper,