Touching base with my past

I talk a lot about being a Showman and I’ll recount anecdotes from my past often. It keeps me grounded and rooted in who I am and where I came from. It's my base.

Many people think of their base as their home town or the place they’ve been brought up in. Yes, I have connections to certain towns and places. Examples being Burnham-on-Sea and Weymouth the two places I’ve lived the longest at.

But my base point is my upbringing. It’s where I return to when I have situations in life. It’s where I go to seek answers. Who I am and where I come from is, at the end of the day, a Showman.

I’ve tried my hand at many things in life. They’re just ways to make a living. They’re not who I am.

I see people categorise themselves by what they do for a living. But what I do for a living isn’t me,  it's just what I'm doing at this moment in time.

Yes, when people think of a Showman, they see the rides, the bright lights, the rain (“it always rains when the fair’s here!”) – but being a Showman is so much more than that to me.

It’s a cultural thing. Just because I no longer travel on fairgrounds, it doesn’t change the values, the work ethic, the person I am.

When I think of my base, it’s back there I go. It’s where I can be me; it’s where I look back to for my lessons in life.

Being a Showman allows me to rediscover my roots. The stories I tell reiterate lessons old and new. They remind me that I was brought up in a loving environment.

And to me, that’s important in these turbulent times. Knowing who I am, who my family is and where I came from is my reference point.

I’m not stuck in the past. After all, it’s OK to have ambition and move on in life. But knowing my roots and having that solid foundation always reminds me of who I am.

It reminds me that whatever life chucks at me, I’m from strong stock, from people who aren’t frightened of making mistakes, who are willing to step out of their comfort zones in order to move on. To never think they can’t turn their hand to anything.

I love touching base with my Showman life. Yes, it has downsides. I’m not saying every showman is perfect. After all, we’re all different.

But being a Showman, my base, is where I was before I got lost in the hustle and bustle, the trials and tribulations, and the road that life has taken me on.

And yet, it’s the one place I can look back to and find my starting point. It’s where I learned right from wrong, it’s where my character was moulded, and it’s that loving environment to which I’ll always return, not necessarily physically, but in my mind, my spirit, my soul.

For me touching that base, is what keeps my feet on the floor, and stops me from thinking I’m somebody I’m not.

It keeps me being proud of who I am and it’s why I don’t need to pretend I’m someone that I’m not.

And that has to be a good thing, wouldn't you agree?

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