The Yodelling Geordie
A story about loneliness, isolation, and comfort in our own company
How often do you feel lonely?
I've found myself feeling isolated too often this year while working in a garden studio I had built. I took on a local co-working space in an effort to alleviate this, and some days it helps, but too often, as a self-employed coach and illustrator, I find myself caught up in chronic overthinking.
Creativity is a shared condition, and we need community and belonging to help us feel and use it effectively. I often leave agencies after a podcast interview or coaching session longing to be a part of such energy.
I remember, in his latter years, my Granddad, a Geordie who lived alone after my nan had passed, found his community in the bookmakers, the local bingo hall, and family. But what I adored was his beautiful relationship with the radio. I, too, am a complete audiophile because of him and my dad's love of radio.
On Saturday afternoons, it was sport on BBC Radio 5 Live, a pastime I still peddle.
But my Granddad had a whole schedule. During one visit to his house from university, having begun to know him more as an adult, he stood up, wearing his standard suit and tie, and began to yodel. Yes, yodel, like YODEL-EH-HI-HOO. I think it originated in farming communities in the central Alps.
He was eccentric, so little surprised me, but this outburst unglued me. I guffawed and cackled as he held up a finger to still me while he hit the right notes. He then revealed that he'd gotten into some late-night yodelling radio show, and loved to sit there in his armchair, in front of the fire, singing along.
His elderly neighbours were mercifully hard of hearing at this time. Still, while I found this hilarious, I also saw beauty in the way he employed the joy of music and primal release to keep himself joyous at a time of life when it would have been all too well to slip into reflection and melancholy.
When I think of this, it galvanises me and reminds me of the agency I have, that we all have, over our minds, how we too can alleviate isolation, challenge it in ways you'd never expect. It's an epidemic of our time, ironically driven by the insidious false promises of social media, and something that tends to require work and acknowledgement with most of my coaching clients. You might even want to search the airwaves until you encounter those high notes...
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