This charity is run out of Oxfordshire, a county in the south of England. But we see it as reaching kids on a global scale. We want to put dots all over a world map and end up with a dot-the-dot of connections and relationships built with establishments helping kids with disabilities all over the world. We are not a one-stop give and move on charity we want to support these places. We want to reach those kids that aren’t reached by a lot of mainstream charitable aid. But reach those kids that music can help, by reaching inside of them and bringing out something in them that is so special, like Andy’s inspiring music.
For Debbie’s birthday I bought her a world map that you can rub away at with a penny and reveal colour underneath, the idea being that she could rub away all the countries we have reached with our tambourines adventures. But I can see more of a dot to dot map joining up the places we reach with music, the places we reach with Andy’s beat…..creating a rhythm around the world.
But this is like building brides. It got me thinking, I’ve been thinking a lot about the building or bridges lately, not in the literal architectural sense but in the relational way. Ever thought back to a friend you have and sat down and actually remember how you met them and how you actually came to be so close? Some people it’s an immediate thing, an immediate connection and others you gradually grow close to other time, and both kinds of relationships are treasured. We are building bridges with these establishments, homes, schools all over the world.
You can only do good by building a bridge, you can only influence or inspire or do good if you build a bridge, and it’s a two way thing. Communication comes from both sides of the bridge, and in our relationships care and love comes from both sides.
This reminded me of the quote ‘build bridges not walls’. Sometimes when things happen in life we can build bridges, when someone’s lets you down, stands you up or betrays your trust its like they’re adding another brick to the wall in your heart until one day you realize there’s a wall, and suddenly building bridges with people is not so easy, in fact its nearly impossible for them to fight through that wall and get to know you.
And its true the world gives you those stones, in fact some days it practically dumps a ton of bricks on top of you daring you not to build a wall. Because it’s our instinct protect ourselves. Other times it’s ourselves mentally building these walls, made up of bricks of fear of insecurity and un-confidence all things that stop us from stepping out from putting ourselves out there.
Whether its our heart defending itself, or our head creating mental blocks it’s a necessity that we break through. And I am always reminded on the scene in run fat boy run, he gets to mile 20 I think and he hits what marathon runners know as the ‘wall’. My Dad ran the marathon back in 2009 and he described to me when the mental block kicks in, its no longer physical pain but a mental block incredibly hard to push through, the movie scene is so good. It shows him literally up against a brick wall, having to run up to it and smash through to get past.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=5kmzJcC_HN4
just watch this scene it portrays it perfectly!!
These things that we are trying to defend ourselves from can be terrifying and increasingly so as we put these walls up. So that no one that might hurt us, that could exploit this fragility, can reach us.
But putting yourself out there is the only way to honestly do yourself justice and actually I have more time than often found it brings only good things, and sure the other portion of time when I’ve been hurt I’ve reminded myself that I cannot allow that person or situation to cause me to put up a wall.
So as we build bridges and extend our help and our passion to these kids all over the wall we are also reminded to not put up walls within ourselves. The world we always hand you stones….but its your choice what you do with them.
What walls have you put up?
What stones has the world handed you and are you ready to change that wall into a bridge?
ANDYS BEAT! 