In a few days time I shall reach the milestone that states I have been on this planet for precisely 40 years. Apparently at that point I shall have what is commonly known as a mid life crisis. Obviously I wanted to prepare for this momentous event as best as possible, so I have done some research into exactly what a mid-life crisis involves. According to The Telegraph, which clearly is the font of all knowledge on this subject, the three most popular signs of a mid life crisis are: Going to Glastonbury, Listening to BBC 6 Music and buying an expensive bicycle.
On that basis I think I’m probably relatively safe for a while longer. I don’t do ‘tenting’ so have absolutely no intention of ever going to Glastonbury, unless they start making it more civilised and building hotels. As for BBC 6 Music, I have no idea what that is so will just ignore it for now! The bicycle bit is a little more worrying. I did buy a bicycle a few years ago, although to be fair it wasn’t a particularly expensive one. I have every intention of using it more, but to date it has currently covered 49 miles in 3 years of ownership and 25 of those in the last couple of months. So now I’m in a bit of a quandary. Should I cycle more because I am ultimately lazy and need the exercise, or should I ignore the bicycle for the next few years in the hope of warding off the mid life crisis?
After one of my choir rehearsals last week, there was cake! To be precise there were many gin and tonic cup cakes which were extremely tasty. As the choir burst into a rendition of Happy Birthday, I realised the cakes were perhaps in my honour. Although I felt it only fair to point out that, in fact, they were a week early. Another reason for highlighting this, was in the hope of there being more cake this week! In fact, just in case any of my choir members are reading this, please feel free to bring cakes to all rehearsals this week!
Anyway, I digress. A little further down the list in The Telegraph, just after ‘reading the obituaries’, is ‘Taking up a new hobby’. And what better hobby to take up than singing? There are lots of articles online which will tell you that singing is good for your health. If, like me, you are currently heading towards a mid life crisis, then why not join a choir? After all it’s probably a lot easier than cycling, and if you join one of my choirs, there will be cake!
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Jules Addison is Musical Director for The BlueBelles, The Pewsey Belles, Cirencester Male Voice Choir, The GWH Trust Choir and Transeamus Chamber Choir