The Robby burns poem was of course the inspiration to John Steinbeck’s novel “Of Mice and Men”. I remember reading it at school and it must have struck a chord, because it has stayed with me over the years. It seems to have been the theme of the last couple of weeks, as I have been off duty.
I spent the two weeks visiting and spending time with friends and family and I have to say it has been lovely. That said it was not how I had planned things. I had intended to go away on holiday, when I booked the time off, but because of changes in personal circumstances that didn’t happen and I just did not have the heart to go away on my own. This it seems was the correct decision as it has allowed me to spend time with a lot of folk who have been with me through thick and thin; people I do not spend as much time with as I ought to, if I am really honest. What was amusing throughout the period was that every day I had to change my plans, things just kept cropping up. I adjusted, I accepted, I went with the flow.
I was travelling to Yorkshire the other day listening to New Model Army, very loudly, in my car. It was playing a classic track of theirs “Green and Grey”. It ended at the perfect moment, just as I crossed the border from Lancashire to Yorkshire, the final note played out. The song, of course, is about a small part of West Yorkshire, but what it’s really about is never forgetting where you have come from.
In so many ways the last couple of weeks have reminded me how important roots and long standing loves are to a sustained and happy living.
I am a fortunate man indeed, as throughout my life I have been shown a great deal of love from so many people. I have not always appreciated or easily accepted this, but it has always been there. I hope in the last couple of weeks I have been able to give some of that back.
“It’s the time I think most clearly, it’s the time I drift away...”
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