Originally posted February 1st 2011
I have made it to a third post…this is something of a record for me!
As yesterday’s post may have indicated, there have been some considerable low points over the last year! I have just been forced to think back yet again to this time last year and it made me think about how the most mundane things can bring back memories, and how the smallest actions often have much greater effects than anyone thinks. It was this introspective moment that lead me to look back over the years photos and find this:
It seemed the appropriate picture as it reminded me that in the midst of sadness there can still be inspiring moments. This dawn trip to Stonehenge was on 17th April 2010, the day after my birthday and at a point in the year when I didn’t really know how my brain was functioning! Looking back on this is an inspiration for several reasons some more obvious than others. The first is the setting, Stonehenge at sunrise in amongst the stones is an experience that not too many people have these days. It is a beautiful setting and if you throw in the perfect light and lack of aircraft trails due to an Icelandic volcano it all added up to be an opportunity that will not be repeated in a hurry.
Second and slightly less obvious is the series of events that allowed me to be invited to experience this. The Stonehenge Trip was organised by an American colleague of mine (who has incidentally probably seen more of the UK than most residents) for the group of American ex-pats who were living in Farnborough. Now to all that know me this will be obvious but I am not an American ex-pat but I was welcomed into the group and invited to accompany them on this trip. Now this small action meant a lot to me, I am aware that I was filling an empty space, but the fact that someone who I had known only a few months thought enough about me to know that I might enjoy the trip made me happy.
The third inspiring thought is that in the saddest time of my life, this action made me happy. The invitation touched me and despite everything I enjoyed the day. So the point that i have been arriving at in a very round about way is that even in the midst of inconceivable sadness there is still hope, and it is worth remembering that you don’t have to make extravagant gestures to have a considerable effect on a person’s life.
On a completely unrelated note…I am still wearing 2 watches and no-one has mentioned it so I am going to carry on!
Concerning the Nature of Things 