Getting Things Into Perspective

In July, I moved into a very beautiful three storey house, where I had the top-right end of it to myself. Catering for myself has been really good - I've avoided frozen ready-meals. The only frozen veg I've used is peas! I feel better for it by a long way.

Then, last Sunday, I got told by my landlord & landlady that for various reasons I would need to move out before the end of September. They have been very good about this, and there is certainly no bad blood between us at all, due to the circumstances; but the fact remains that I was getting fairly settled into the place and really loved the area I was living in. I am not worried at all, as I know that there are enough people I count as friends who will not see me go homeless until I find a suitable alternative for myself. It would have been easy to kick up a fuss I suppose - I just didn't see any point.

Two days later, I got a message saying that someone I had lived and worked with whilst on the Lee Abbey Community a few years ago, had suddenly dropped dead that same Sunday. He was my age. It was obviously a shock hearing that someone I knew and got on well with, although not 'best friends' at all, was suddenly gone: Someone with a fantastic heart and personality, who had a great future ahead of him, someone my age, just stopped being. As with many incidences, this has made me consider life and how much I, we, take it for granted a lot of the time. And as someone else said when I was talking about it yesterday: "It will affect you for a short time" - this is true, then I shall go back to being blissfully ignorant about the fragility and gift of life again for a while - I wish I wouldn't, but inevitably I, and you, will.

I just hope that each happening like this leaves part of me changed properly, and impacts how I view life, gifts, and others, daily - not just "For a short time".