It was good to see Yeovil Town Football Club move out of the relegation zone this week, and it is great that some key players are coming back from injury. The last couple of years have been tough for the Glovers and their fans, especially the last few months. Now is the time for Yeovil to redouble the effort, focus and self belief, take each hard play and game at a time, and build on the positives, not being diminished by the inevitable set-backs that any sport will bring.One of the reasons sport is mesmerising is the way it can mirror and inspire our lives. Most people can relate to having times of happy glory, tougher times, and times when plans don't work out and a hard slog ensues.
I know celebrating promotions is more glamorous, but life is also about digging in when the going gets tough. For me that is crucial because, sure as eggs are eggs, disappointment and trauma will come to us all. These are the great challenges that test our character. I have been inspired by many people since becoming an MP. It is a privilege to meet those with patience and love for adults and children with disability; doctors, nurses, teachers and carers showing exceptional dedication to their charges; ordinary people facing extraordinary events, such as personal bereavement or changes; and volunteers giving sometimes thankless time and effort in support of others.
Sometimes the difficulty of the situation defines them, at least in part or for a time, and this makes their experience inspiring. It is wonderful to see people not giving up.Hard work, whether physical, mental or emotional, is often necessary to anything of true value. We should cherish it when we see it, as it is not always easy to apply, ourselves. Such recognition and encouragement are fundamentally kind, useful things we can contribute to the world around us, so we can achieve more, together. I am often asked whether government will help one group or another with its challenges. I am not someone who thinks government can or should do nothing to help people in their ambitions, and certainly the desire and plans to help are there. However it is worth reflecting that there are some challenges beyond the power of government to control. Government also has a duty to retain flexibility so it can adapt, and sometimes difficult choices need to be made for the greater good.
So as individuals we do always need to check what we can do ourselves and each other. We make up the glue which holds society together in many ways, by the multitude of our actions.Let's try something, and all think of one tough thing that needs confronting in our own lives, and how we might each do something, even small, this week, to face it. If we all did this, we could in the constituency take perhaps 100,000 individual steps towards an active and positive future. Just as I am sure we each have it in us to do this, and more, I am sure the Glovers have it in them to focus positively on each step in this now, the hard part of their battle of a lifetime. Let's let them know we are rooting for them, admire their courage, and will them to succeed.