Thanet resident Matthew Munson is a single dad to son Bryan through adoption, and a writer, sharing his family and day to day life column
Excitement is building in Casa de Munson, as Bryan’s dance show with Masque Theatre School is creeping ever closer.
It’s not until the end of July, but that seems to be no time at all in terms of rehearsals, costume prep, discussions around partner work, and … well, there’s stuff I’m missing, probably. One thing I’m not is a dancer.
It’s great when your child finds a passion in their life; you see them come alive and be fully engaged with something they truly care about. As a supportive parent, my role is to pay the bills, make sure he’s where he should be on the right days, and cheer him on – because he sure is damn talented. I find myself getting swept up in his excitement and, although I’m banned from seeing any of his dances before the show itself, I’m told it’s going to be excellent. This I can believe.
My own passions have mostly been sedentary; except for my marathons and half-marathons I’ve done throughout the years. Writing has always been my main passion, and that’s not wavered since the age of 10 when I wrote my first book (complete with illustrations) in Mrs Cooper’s class at primary school. I did this with her full knowledge and approval, I should add; I even added pictures, and she was my first reader and critic. She was pretty cool.
We all have interests that wax and wane over the years. While writing has never lost its fun, I’ve cooled on others. Well, I say cooled … I might not be as fanatical about Star Trek as I once was, I still like it a lot, and love science fiction as a genre. I still remember a lot of the facts I absorbed about Star Trek when I was a teenager, and I’m happy to admit that I once wrote a fact file for English class at school about Klingons and their Empire. I told Bryan about this recently, and he shook his head and said, “Dad, that’s nerdy.” Yes, Bryan. It is nerdy, and I’m proud of that.
Writing has remained an outlet for me over the decades … in fact, it’s been 35 years since I wrote that first book, and I love finding new outlets for my work. I’ve had three books and a novella published over the years, and I want to do that again in the future – once I’ve got a good way through the saga I’m currently working on, which is going to take a good few years, I suspect. I’ve never written anything quite so epic before, and if it doesn’t get accepted by a publisher … well, I’ll plough on regardless. Why wouldn’t I? I care about my writing and want to just get better. I like to think I’m a better writer than I was ten, twenty, or thirty years ago, and I hope I’ll be even better in another ten years.
I remember the moment I held a copy of my first book in my hands. The MD of the publisher I was with at the time had come down from Derby along with the editor who had worked on my book, and we had gone for a drink in the Albion Hotel in Broadstairs. I don’t mind admitting that a few tears sprung to my eyes when this creation was gripped firmly in my hands – and, if I remember correctly, I didn’t let go of it for a long time. That memory will stay with me forever.
As I write this, Bryan is in a dance studio practicing one of the innumerable dances he will be performing in July. I know that he will remember this for just as long, and I want him to – he deserves this.
Operating in plain sight!
Good man!