Living

I attended the funeral of an old friend yesterday. Which was sad, of course, but the… I can’t say ‘service’ because it was non-religious and ‘event’ seems too festive… the gathering was a celebration of his life more than anything else.

On a slightly brighter note, it gave me the opportunity to meet some other old friends.  Friends I haven’t seen in a very long while. Time and circumstances, and my weird social issues, have kept us apart.  A death always pushes me to examine my own life. To consider: am I living the way I should? Am I the person I aspire to be?  The answer, right now, is: not quite yet.

I have resolved that I must strive to be more sociable. Try to spend some real time with real people – family and friends. That doesn’t devalue my virtual life at all.  I consider my online chums to be the modern equivalent of pen pals and wouldn’t give them up for the world. However, as much as I crave and treasure my solitude, perhaps you can have too much of a good thing… Perhaps.

I had already been making advances in that direction but these last few days have confirmed that such changes would be worth the effort on my part.  My friends are wonderful, interesting people – and I have missed them.  Although, as I mentioned above, there were ‘circumstances’, it was entirely my own choice to withdraw from that circle.  I was never, ever made to feel unwelcome. Also, I am constantly meeting fantastic folk on my travels.  In recent years I have made special efforts to remain in touch with several of them – virtually.  My flesh and blood friends deserve just as much effort from me, don’t they?

So, spring is coming (any time now) and I must spring clean my life along with my home.  

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