clinging to the wreckage

This has been a week of intensities. But, as with many intense experiences that occur outside of the comfort zone, it was a week of great learning for me. Seniors from my organization traveled from France to the USA and then we embarked on a three-city trip in four days for intensive meetings and discussions. Boston on Monday, Portsmouth on Tuesday, and New York on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. It was heavy in terms of travel, stress, and focus… and was ultimately a fantastic learning experience that helped me to grow a little, both personally and professionally. Coming home, my flight was cancelled. I tried to get a train and they were sold out. I eventually found another flight and had to wait seven hours at the airport (the new flight was delayed) but I eventually made it home. I climbed into bed, fell asleep, then some pranksters set off the fire alarm in my building and we had to evacuate… but nothing could remove my happiness and sense of peace to be home af...

The photograph shows you lying in a park in Madrid wearing a blue Suicidal Tendencies shirt (that I bought for you at a Madrid skate shop) and beside you is a copy of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre (that I gave to you) lying upon your cardigan, through the collar of which is threaded a flower that you picked in the park that day. The grass is green, the sun is bright, your black hair with a tinge of auburn is shining as you bite your bottom lip to slightly disguise a smile. I took the photo five years ago and I remember the day as if it were today. You said that if you were looking for marriage I’d be perfect… but you were looking to have fun, to meet as many men as you could, to party… experience life to the full. I had to respect this and let you go. It wasn’t easy. We had watched films and laughed at our own comments all the way through. On weekends we cooked breakfast together and watched Sherlock Holmes. We explored Madrid. We travelled to London and Moro...