2008/09 - Winter

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

When I saw you had posted today EG, I finished what I had to do, turned the lights off, poured a significant quantity of fine Australian muscat into what could be best described as a not-insignificant tumbler, put Yes's Close To The Edge on the music machine and sat down to read your latest.

I'm not sure what it is about those poignant moments in life, such as when a parent dies, or one realises (such as your woman in the car) that life is finally crushing you to the point of desperation, but they force a stark clarity to one's view of the world. That you can put those moments into such eloquent prose was beautifully illustrated in your last post. It simultaneously made me want to get out there for a run to celebrate your superb ability to write about what many of us experience but feel unable to express, and on the other hand to chuck it all in and instead acknowledge my frustration at taking on too much and failing to recognise where priorities properly lay.

And then your rat gnawing analogy just astonished me. How true.

I'm truly sorry for the loss of your mother - I understand what this means to you. I'm really upset at the disappearance of Good Old Boy from your local pub scene, and I'm saddened that you could not attend Almeria this year. I also empathise with your work situation - in the current economic climate these pressures are particularly acute.

But I am very glad indeed that you feel able to write - and write so amazingly well - about it all. That enlightens many of us, and hopefully yourself as well. It's that kind of writing that gives me hope for humanity, in the face of any and all kinds of adversity. I only wish I was physically over there with you so you could share my fine Rutherglen muscat.

Thanks EG.