Today has been a good day. A friend of mine's son is 18, and before lockdown, hadn't really ever done much exercise. He took up running, and, today, on his own initiative, and on his own, ran his first half marathon to raise money for a mens suicide prevention charity, James' Place.
When I heard that he was doing it, I volunteered to run with him, but Covid scuppered that, as he's in Formby, and I'm in Manchester, and we're both in Tier 3 lockdown. I ran in solidarity anyway, 40 miles apart, but together. For what its worth, he pb'd ( obviously), 2:04, as did I, 1:42.30. But more importantly, he's raised over £400 for James' Place.
I've been chiling with some beers this afternoon, but decided to listen to some music this evening.. its funny how the mind works. Walked to the CD rack, and out came Frightened Rabbit's latest album... no thought involved. It was only part way through the first song, that it hit me that Scott Hutchison is no longer with us, precisely because he couldn't find the support that charities like James' Place, and our own Oz's 12th Man provide.
So this is just a plea to everyone on here. Remember, its ok to not be ok. If you need help, please, please, ask for it. A lot of outlets for men( pubs, football etc) are not available at the moment, so even if you're currently in a good place, perhaps take an hour to check in with those of your mates that you only see at footy, or the boozer, that you've not seen, and might currently be lonely, or vulnerable.
Or if you fancy donating to an awesome charity...
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/owen-half4james
Be kind. Cheers. |  |
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