For those of you who read this blog about things that inspire me about living in Granada and Andalucia and Spain, firstly thank you, it’s hugely appreciated, especially as I’ve only been writing here for a few months.

There’s a lovely area I often walk through in Granada called La Plaza Del Humilladero which is used as a public event space such as weekly markets, annual fairs and where many people simply go for a paseo or to walk their dogs. I especially like walking there early in the morning before the city wakes up as it has a gentle tranquility that sets me up for the day.

Every time I go I walk past an old bandstand and often either take a photo or simply take a moment to look at it. It always intrigues me as it’s quite beautiful and I’ve only seen it used for very occasional small tango dance groups at the weekends. The rest of the time it stands empty, perhaps nostalgic for its halcyon days all those years ago in the 20th century. When I see this bandstand, I can’t help but think of the countless events and stories it must have played host to over the years – young lovers on dates, people learning the latest dance craze, romantic trysts and of course, bands playing concerts.

And yet as well as all these thoughts of what may have happened, it also makes me think about what hasn’t happened or more to the point, what is no longer happening there now.  The bandstand has been empty wanting to make people happy and now from my perspective, it has a quiet sadness that seems to represent unfulfilled opportunities of the past. What could have been. It seems such a waste and yet people go past it all the time without taking any notice whatsoever.

So, especially if you’ve been reading my Grove Hill Coaching blog for a while, you’ll know where I’m going with this, however if not, this is the ‘coaching bit’.

Is there an empty bandstand in your life?

Or do you perhaps identify with the bandstand itself?

How could you take make the most of the opportunities you have?

Either way, what small steps could you take now to change things to move you forward to live the life you want to live?

I’m off for a paseo in the sunshine now and yes, I think I might go past my favourite local bandstand. In its honour, I might just listen to some tango on my headphones when I’m there, though perhaps for everybody’s sake, I’ll leave the tango dancing to the professionals…