I try to keep this blog non personal to an extent but every once in a while something happens which I feel I have to put down in words and help make me reflect on the world and its belongings. Its been a pretty non eventful weekend. Other than a couple of walks around the island and the rugby between England and New Zealand I managed to get a few hours in decorating but couldn’t shift the thought…
Earlier this week I received some terribly sad news. A good childhood friend whose family were also very close to mine, had passed away aged only 44.
Without going into the full detail my friend was diagnosed some time back with cancer. I was called at work last Wednesday (15th Dec) by my Dad who had told me that my friend had passed away on the previous Sunday due to complications subsequent to an operation.
I have known this friend of mine ever since I can remember and while he moved away some time ago to pursue an amazing career we caught up on occasion and it would feel like no time had passed since we were kids.
My friend was amazingly clever and became a doctor or archaeology (a real life Indiana Jones without the bad guys!) specialising in ancient Greece. He became a curator at a London museum and recently became curator at another museum here on the island and I want this blog entry to reflect on fond memories of our youth.
I remember reading about his work and it gave me such pride to know that a mate had done so well doing something he absolutely loved. I recall him telling me laughingly how the pay was lousy but he woke every day excited to do what he did. I was incredibly jealous as he spent so much of his time in hot foreign countries scuba diving for artifacts. Seemed like the perfect job!
As kids I have so many fond memories as far back as playschool where we would argue about who would get to play with the peddle car. It was invariably my friend who won while I was left with the trike.
After school, we would end up going to each others houses and I remember he had an amazing set of GI Joe figure and Playmobil as well as the Lego and Scalextric which again he always won… typical but happy memories nevertheless.
Our families would often visit each other during the holiday seasons and I remember how his mum used to make us the most amazing cakes and even used to make Easter eggs from scratch using a chocolate mould. We all shared many days on the beaches, in our gardens and so many BBQs and birthday parties I can’t even count. One of the best memories I have was sitting on the hill of the park with our parents as it got dark, it had been snowing, the entire village was covered in white and it was just so peaceful. I just remember sitting there talking about our sledges and whose was faster, kid talk without any care in the world.
This terrible news brings home to me about how precious life and time together is. My friend leaves behind not only his loving mother, father and brother but his wife and two young children. Words can’t describe the feeling of loss they must have.
I for one take for granted days which my be monotonous. The world can certainly sometimes get on top of you but in the days when everything might seem dull and down, its worth taking stock of everything good and positive around you even if this might seem insignificant. My friend was an inspiration and leaves an awesome legacy, something I could probably only dream of doing but my full intention is to not let a single day be wasted on missing opportunity and striving to achieve the impossible.
More experiences and successes are out there and my friend certainly proved that. You’ll be missed mate but never forgotten.
Sleep wel