In the Cage - Genesis

Lyric: 'If I keep my self-control, I'll be safe in my soul' - Banks, Collins, Gabriel, Hackett & Rutherford

Song Choice:- One of my all time favourite Genesis tracks, and whilst I'm not very well, I'm going to pick the songs that have travelled the miles with me over the years and have cheered me up when I've needed some MTFU pills. You never know, you might like them too, if you've never heard them before. There's nearly 8 minutes of this one to get your ears jumping to so have a listen here...

Anyway, I can remember listening to on a cranky old mono tape recorder on full volume in the garden during the hot summer of 1976. Forty years on, I might just do it again when I finally 'Escape' from hospital, but with some much bigger speakers this time!

I say 'Escape', but actually I'm not going anywhere as yet, because they are working wonders with me here at University Hospital Wales, and yesterday they had me cycling, working out in the gym and got me standing up freely on my own...I'm not fixed and it's all dead wobbly but it was magic doing the stand... 

That was one 'Sweet Shawshank' moment, I can tell you. Far better than any cold beer could ever be on the hottest day.

In fact, it was a great day all round. I had some amazing upbeat visits from friends from far and wide (cheers guys) which really boosted my mood I can tell you. Getting around in my wheelchair, I felt liberated and free enough to get outside into the fresh air and feel semi-normal, for the first time in three weeks, I even clocked 10,000 steps on my Fitbit. 

Yesterday, was pure Gold Dust. 

Hey, I took some knocks too. Some real rib-jammers. One of my visitors joshed me with, 'Think about how you can use this experience to help others, now you know you’re not going to die'. Yikes, it was almost a low blow. 

Die? I'd blocked that one out but that's one of the abilities that's helped me succeed. It was interesting words delivered with pure friendship, directed to make me sit up and understand more about how I could see the world in a different way and make me see if I can get even more out of life. Especially if I could only I realise that I've already proved myself many times over and not have to keep making the headlines.

It's food for thought, a lot of thought...and not an easy thing for any driven person like me to hear. In my world, decisions are made and the 'never to be wavered from direction' is programmed into the 'Coleman Compass', and then it's 100% full steam ahead to the end.

Well, that's the bit I can now work on whilst I’m in here. It's not going to be easy and I'm not quite sure how I'm going to do it right now, but I'll keep writing about it here. I can then think on about already being where I've always wanted to be and why I'm so desperately expending all my energies trying to get here when I arrived years ago. I must be bonkers...

Anyway, more later and maybe it's the tablets talking, as it doesn't sound like the usual Rory Coleman's curt ramblings today does it?

Am I going a bit soft?

Rory Coleman - Performance Coach 

976 Marathons - 241 Ultras - 13 Marathon des Sables - 9 Guinness World Records - 8172 Days' Alcohol Free.