On an earlier article Mackem Tiz asked, "Where do we get the time", and that prompted my Saturday ramble. I am a sad old git, its now 5.30 in the morning and I have been out with the dog, made my coffee, the dog is fast aslep, again so here I am. I will have a shower soon and be in Tesco before 9 then back to prepare for what I hope will be a fantastic win for those boys of ours. Truth is, and this is the truth, after years of working very long hours, travelling the country, night after night in hotels, looking after a family, well a few families actually I now have time. I worked hard to achieve success, money, possessions and all the time the most valuable things I missed out on but never realised it. At the age of 52, 10 years ago now, I found myself one Saturday sitting in my sons flat in Durham. He had gone off for a week in Devon and let me stay in his flat for a week, second marriage just gone west, all I owned in some black bin bags, ÃÆââ¬Å¡Ãâã600 in my pocket, homeless and jobless. To make things complete I had a week to find somewere to live. Around 14 months earlier I had a very good job, drove a jag, owned a big house and was worth, on paper, 1.75 mil, on he face of it I had fallen a long way, on the face of it. I wont bore you with the next 10 years but I survived, in fact I thrived and found that life was very good. The second wife who I left behind all those years ago, with her eager permission I may add, gets married again in two months time. The man who was behind my downfall is in the middle of a 7 year stretch for fraud.(I make a very bad enemy) My son who I had lost touch with until that Saturday 10 years ago is happly married, a proud father who makes me a proud father and grandfather, we all go to games now. I have a fantastic lady in my life, we dont and never will live in the same house but we do live in the same street and take care of each other. I have little in the way of material things and money, I do have a nice home with big TV and sky to go with my season ticket, its good when your priorities in life revolve aound you. The main thing I now have is the thing Makem Tiz asked about, time, time for me and the freedom to spend that time doing what I want. Many of you work very hard to make sure your family are looked after, good on you and keep doing it. My only advice if I may be so forward and cheeky, dont do what I did and work to the point that you forget what you are working for. It took me two broken marriages and a life time to realise that wealth and success are only worth it if you have someone left to share it with and the time to enjoy it. Bit heavy for a Saturday morning, maybe I should have gone back to sleep like the dog.
I have said it before Syd and I will say it again, you are an absolutely sound guy. Oh how my life was so similar to yours 4 years ago, even down to staying in my sons flat for a week. Here's to 3 points today mate Ellas woke early today, better go and get her up Enjoy your weekend..
Nice on Syd! Hats off to you sir! I, like you, get up early every morning with the dog and enjoy reading your early morning post. You're spot on with what you said mate!
"ÃÆââ¬Å¡Ãâã600 in my pocket"!!!!!! You flash git.. seriously syd. It sounds to me like discovered life's great mystery. How to live and be happy. Good on ya.
good on yer sport, sounds wonderful. i have been with my lass 11 years now and i am thinking about slowing down so that i can appreciate those around me a bit more, i don't have a massive business but it still takes a lot of time to run, thats why i can be on here all day one day (when in office) or barely at all for the next three. looking forward to retiring in the next couple of years and moving "home".
Cheers kirky. Cyprus the ÃÆââ¬Å¡Ãâã600 in my pocket was outweighed by the rather large debts following me home. Been a slog at times over the past 10 years but I can honestly say never been happier mate.
I retired 3 years ago and its the best thing I could have done, it gave me that wonderfull thing, time..
Nice, very nice. I was imagining Simon Bates narrating this to the 'Our Tune' song. Very nice story though Syd, I on the other hand was also up at 05:00 because of my little boy, I to wish he would go back to sleep. All the very best for this Lunch guys got a very, very good feeling about this.
Good to hear you're happy and doing well, Syd. I retired getting on for two years ago and life is busy, great fun and I have a wonderful wife, three kids and four grandsons all who make me happy and see it as there duty to try and get me to act my age. Thankfully they all understand my obsession with SAFC and share it to varying degrees.
Why do people keep doing that Pont, that act your age thing. Bet like me you know you are still in your mid twenties then you catch sight in that mirror and oh my god. Nothing against the wives of this world mate, not even my 2 ex wives, seccond was a big mistake and we both realised it so walked away in peace. First was the real thing at the time but stupidity on both sides killed it, that green grass on the other side thing for us both. 24 years with number 1 and 12 with number 2 and I just can see the point in being bitter about over half of my life.
Spot on super mod. I too am a sucess at being a failure.Fortunately I met a woman who knows everything.Now,while IM still a "Work in Progress" I fully expect to be perfect by retirement age.
Hey Syd, my eyes aren't that great so when I look in the mirror I am twentyfive. Been with the same girl since I was seventeen and now coming up to 44 years married. My memory plays tricks on me a little these days so I can't even remember what we used to argue about when we were younger. Of course her memory is sharper and she can still give chapter and verse on the error of my ways from years back. Do I care? Not a bit, I'm as happy as a pig in....i
Those bloody woman are good at that remembering thing. I hav been with my present lady for 6 years and there have been times when we thought we may not make it, then, around 3 years ago I was cazlled into the quiet room at hospital, you know its not good news in the quiet room. Was told she only had a 30% chance of making it through the night, we have never argued from that day.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz syd tone the length of your articles down, cant be bothered to read all that cobblers
You never fail to make yourself look like a right c*nt Big Chris....if you have nothing to say then say nothing.
