old friends

Not in the Simon and Garfunkel sense, of "high shoes with round toes", but more the sort I wrote about on 9 February (A short story of ambition and redemption). Ms ('dis' in this case!) Harmony, Mr Infrastructure, Mr Unguarded Moment and I met this morning. We've been on a pretty incredible journey, we four (and others) and it takes but a moment before we're sharing pretty deep stuff. Spilling the guts might characterise it, but this is more about saying honestly how we feel without any fear of losing some 'advantage', appearing weak or even self-centred. As it turned out, the four of us were feeling pretty similar things.

Our journey is - we think! - meant to lead us to being more effective, 'better people', maybe even being 'centred', whatever that means. We'd all probably describe it differently, but we know what we mean. Yet paradoxically, the further along the road we've travelled, the further away is our destination. Some of us feel we've lost something of ourselves along the way. But it wasn't excess baggage, it was part of what makes us go. Our engine management unit perhaps, if that doesn't stretch a metaphor too far.

But it was incredibly reassuring to realise, in one of those 'bing!' moments, that we all felt the same. We're well able to analyse what we're feeling and support each other, but what else to do about it is another question. We've taken some steps, will see what happens.

My, but all this is obscure! Just as well, I guess. So rather than try some pointless insight, I'll leave it to Keef and Gram, who say it so much better....

Childhood living is easy to do
The things you wanted
I bought them for you
Graceless lady
you know who I am
You know I can’t let you
slide through my hands
Wild horses couldn’t drag me away
Wild, wild horses, couldn’t drag me away

I watched you suffer
a dull aching pain
Now you decided
to show me the same
No sweeping exits
or offstage lines
Could make me feel bitter
or treat you unkind
Wild horses couldn’t drag me away
Wild, wild horses, couldn’t drag me away

I know I dreamed you
a sin and a lie
I have my freedom
but I don’t have much time
Faith has been broken
tears must be cried
Let’s do some living
after we die
Wild horses couldn’t drag me away
Wild, wild horses, we’ll ride them some day
Wild horses couldn’t drag me away
Wild, wild horses, we’ll ride them some day.