We got a brief glimpse of spring on Saturday in Wellington, but I suspect it is all a brief mirage. It looks like winter service will be resumed later on Monday.
I said goodbye to a good friend this afternoon. Not for a long time (I hope) but certainly for a few months. He’s off to see his parents and family for the first time in 3 years. He’s wondering how he’s going to feel when he gets there. This period in our lives is full of surprising emotions. He’s preparing to be surprised without trying to pre-judge.
How we tie ourselves in knots.
I’ll miss him. But it’s been hard to actually see him over the past few months, with family commitments, various ailments and, well, you know.
I’m sure I’ll miss more than just the idea of him being around, but it’s another reminder of how lonely a time it has been for many people, myself included.
Still, it was wonderful to stroll for an hour by the water, checking in on life and its uncertainty.
We resolved to stay in touch with each other. I’ve a mind to send him a postcard but the post service is so unpredictable. So, it’ll be calls when the timezones and life offers us a window.
Who will you renew, repair or refresh contact with this week? What’s the story behind who you thought of?
(and who’s going to post first this week to get us started?)
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This is a thread to help us to get to know each other and to exchange tips for self-care and just getting by. I know that feeling part of a community is important to lots of you - that’s part of why I created this Substack.
Several years ago I lost a friend who I had been meaning to catch up with and never quite got there. I learnt a lesson along with the regret.
As I get older, more of my friends are now being diagnosed with life threatening illnesses so I am travelling more again for brief visits, dropping in for a free dinner at the other end of the country and prioritising ‘mates’ and good wine.
Hi Shaun - I also get that sense of urgency these days - that time I so precious and to seek out people who matter to me to make sure I spend quality time with them. My family commitments mean that finding that time is hard - and I feel that. But, such is life right now. And I have to work to find those moments, but also without putting too much pressure on myself to make them super-memorable.
Like you Sarb I connected with a dear friend walking along the beach this weekend- in the sun. Our time together these days hasnt been regular due to work commitments, family, illnesses, Covid (My family are shielding so our hangouts are very much outside). The biggest disruptor to seeing mates has been the shortened days and the wet wintery Welly weather. It has despite our best efforts made our world infinitely smaller. Yesterday was a Salve. We talked about the rawness of this year. How fatigued we both were from it all. A commonality even though our experiences of the day to day differed. We agreed that this year has been sludgy (as described by Jod Wilson of Practicing Simplicity here https://linktr.ee/practisingsimplicity) in amongst all of the noise we created a sparkle- we had managed to carve out time together-. In that hour we chased away the loneliness and isolation. Our friendship and connection reverberating good vibes into the start of another week. Until the next time..
Just checking in as we enter the back end of the week. I haven't been particularly social after the weekend, but I am hoping to get something set up for the weekend. It's been lovely to do some different physical activity this week, with a new kind of yoga stretching session yesterday, and an upper body functional strength workout today, as well as short meditation sessions sprinkled through the days. I feel set up for the remainder of the week. How are you doing?
Several years ago I lost a friend who I had been meaning to catch up with and never quite got there. I learnt a lesson along with the regret.
As I get older, more of my friends are now being diagnosed with life threatening illnesses so I am travelling more again for brief visits, dropping in for a free dinner at the other end of the country and prioritising ‘mates’ and good wine.
Seems like my twenties again without the energy.
Hi Shaun - I also get that sense of urgency these days - that time I so precious and to seek out people who matter to me to make sure I spend quality time with them. My family commitments mean that finding that time is hard - and I feel that. But, such is life right now. And I have to work to find those moments, but also without putting too much pressure on myself to make them super-memorable.
Just being is good.
Like you Sarb I connected with a dear friend walking along the beach this weekend- in the sun. Our time together these days hasnt been regular due to work commitments, family, illnesses, Covid (My family are shielding so our hangouts are very much outside). The biggest disruptor to seeing mates has been the shortened days and the wet wintery Welly weather. It has despite our best efforts made our world infinitely smaller. Yesterday was a Salve. We talked about the rawness of this year. How fatigued we both were from it all. A commonality even though our experiences of the day to day differed. We agreed that this year has been sludgy (as described by Jod Wilson of Practicing Simplicity here https://linktr.ee/practisingsimplicity) in amongst all of the noise we created a sparkle- we had managed to carve out time together-. In that hour we chased away the loneliness and isolation. Our friendship and connection reverberating good vibes into the start of another week. Until the next time..
Just checking in as we enter the back end of the week. I haven't been particularly social after the weekend, but I am hoping to get something set up for the weekend. It's been lovely to do some different physical activity this week, with a new kind of yoga stretching session yesterday, and an upper body functional strength workout today, as well as short meditation sessions sprinkled through the days. I feel set up for the remainder of the week. How are you doing?