refresh reconnect reaffirm

[here's luke on his new (old) bike - it's only a matter of time before we have a broken limb!]

today is the first day of my 45th birthday month (july 27th - small gifts only - i wouldn't want to be embarrassed) and i find myself in a contemplative, reflective mood. thinking of all the things that have happened this year. thinking of the summer ahead. thinking of how much things have changed since this time last year - beyond recognition is the answer to that one.

i'm not going to dwell too much as life is about moving on (in the main) although we all like a certain amount of nostalgia. when i go out for a few ales with my good friend tony we often regale ourselves with the stories and moments from our merged and combined history and there is a certain warmth and comfort in this that reassures that you have come from somewhere, done things, and have other things to achieve. i'm sure the stories have morphed and changed over the years; a slight embellishment here and there for comic effect, but the essence remains the same. what we are are story tellers. we've been doing it since the dawn of humanity.

but, in this story telling, we never lose sight of having a conversation about what we are doing next. because what we are doing next is the adventure. i love looking at maps, in part to check out where i've been, but mostly to see where i'm going. as most of my friends know my 'map' used to be my religion but now as an atheist my map is the people around me. my grid references are my family, my friends  my colleagues. where i was going was dictated by what i though this invisible absent god had in store for me but now my future is shaped in the here and now by those i love, cherish and respect.

i find that quite powerful, inspiring and humbling.