A Glimmer of Hope…

I have been looking and looking and looking for any signs of hope out of the Duran camp this past week, especially after seeing their mid-week announcement about canceling the remaining June dates in Finland and Russia.  I have been going to their official site and to Simon and John’s twitters more times than I care to admit.  Another part of my search for hope has been on the various message boards in hopes that someone had heard/read something and was able to share with the rest of us!  This kind of search isn’t something new for me.  I’m really an optimist even in the face of unbelievable odds and I’m not one to give in easily to matter the level of challenge involved.  Perhaps, these characteristics have allowed me to teach for as long as I have, too.  Therefore, no matter how bleak things were looking with Simon, I refuse to give up hope, which is the same motivating force that keeps me searching for signs.  (No comment, Rhonda!)

Yesterday, as part of my daily glance at all things Duran on the internet, I noticed that Duranasty site had been updated.  Now, anyone familiar with this site knows the time and attention to details that goes into every update.  Usually, the updates contain quite a bit of unofficial news.  This update was no exception and you can read it here.  This update provided me with that glimmer of hope, that oasis in the long stretch of desert that we have all been living in.  The information in this updated included a fan report of a conversation with Simon in which he stated that his voice seems to be coming back in small increments.  The band also feels confident that there will be shows played in July.

Obviously, I hope for those who have tickets for July and August shows that this is indeed the case.  Of course, this could also mean that the postponed shows could be rescheduled and announced as well, which is great!  However, this statement provides more than just tour possibilities.  I hope that it means that Simon is truly recovering and on his way to full health again.  For him, personally, I cannot imagine how difficult this must be on him.  It is one thing to know that a particular body part won’t work as it should, which many people experience, but to have that body part be essential for your career and your identity.  This made me think of my mother, who is a fiber artist.  She relies on her vision to create her works of art.  A few years ago, she lost partial hearing in one ear after a horrible ear infection, which is annoying to her but not as devastating if she had lost part of her eyesight.  Beyond Simon, personally, which is enough, there are countless more people who rely on his ability to sing, especially his bandmates.  Then, of course, there are the fans.  We rely on his voice, too, to provide us with the entertainment we have come to know and love.

Beyond the hope, I have to remind myself to be cautious.  While I’m not doubting this fan at all, I also know how emotionally invested we all are.  I wasn’t there and I don’t know exactly how the conversation went.  I also know that even with this hope, Simon may not be out of the woods yet.  He may be gaining some of his voice back and then can lose it again.  It may also take a LONG time to fully come back.  While I love the idea of having hope and the world knows that I need it, I think it is also good for me to be cautious and to try to be prepared for where we all go from here.  It may not be a smooth road.  It may not be a straight road that takes us directly from point A to  point B.  There may be many twists and turns along the way.  So, for now, I remain very, very cautiously optimistic.

-A