Tuesday 8 October 2013

Half a world away

There's a real order to life.

There's no escaping it but embracing it fully leaves little to the imagination. The blessing of introspective thought is one that few creatures are bestowed with but it only too often leads to our undoing. If we truly took a second to contemplate what was actually happening then how much of this would we even do?

How many meetings would we sit through? How many walks to the photocopier would we take? How many times would we tolerate dealing with people we'd much rather not deal with?

If we sat back and contemplated the sands of time and our flight through space, without both reason or direction, then would anything matter? Maybe it wouldn't, but without the experiences that make up our time on this vessel, you could make a much clearer argument for an apathetic white flag.

It's the experiences and the people we share that with, that define our path through this endless maze. It's those who we choose to spend our time with that amplify that which our hearts and heads would tell us.

The real problem lies in the daily grind and how this affects our ability to see the sparkle of diamonds through tired, weary eyes.

I've always said that these writings exist as a template for anyone who wants to achieve anything. A set of instructions to those who don't know if their hopes and dreams will ever amount to anything. So often I talk about the adventures undertaken, the voyages through the night and the constant sense of motion without mentioning the one person who I couldn't live without.

My lovely girlfriend Alison "Vanille" Leese.

I gave her the nickname after Oerba Dia Vanille from Final Fantasy XIII which I was heavily immersed in when I met her.

I met Alison in a place that isn't open anymore. The second place we met at has only just re-opened, after shutting down, and maybe that says as much about the modern economy as it does about our respective tastes in venues.

There's too many life lessons to give from that first meeting but, if I'm pressed for one, I'd go with the following.

 
"If you ever meet a girl who understands that Ravishing Rick Rude is the only way an 80's gentleman should look, it's written in the stars."


 

As this blurry train ride gets faster and faster and the lines between what matters and what doesn't become too white to make out, I'm comforted by thoughts.

The one thing that keeps me going whenever I feel like I'm not sure what to do next.

The one thing that makes me smile when I'm walking home in the rain and I've forgotten my umbrella.

The one thing that will always make me want to be the best I can be.

The one thing that makes me happy when I get lost in myself is the one thing that makes me realize that I'm the luckiest man alive. 

Every cup of tea, every slice of toast, every time you've worn my clothes, every time you've beaten me on a videogame (more than I'd like to admit) and every time you've somehow picked the winners in fights before they've even started.

Adventures are daunting but coming home makes perfect, blissful sense.

Speak soon people
Never take anything for granted
Stay happy
More words soon
Ben