Thursday 19 July 2018

Visitors!


After weeks of blessed peace life suddenly got busy again yesterday.
Old friends of decades turned up with all sorts of plans.
As I am not busy I can still do most things...in theory....but I fear my boating days are over!
Climbing up and down ladders, jumping ashore etc are all activities I’ve enjoyed in the past but not any more.
The problem is that my friends are still doing all that but I’ve let it all slip since becoming a priest...and I’m not ready or able to go back.
The civilised way of climbing onto a boat is still possible...given a full tide to allow it to steam into a harbour but anything that involves a dingy manoeuvre and me climbing from sea level up several feet into a larger vessel is now out!
So I am insisting that if they want my company it has to be on dry land.
After years of jumping on and off boats this feels bad. But I am learning to be sensible ....well fairly sensible...the problem is to persuade my friends that I am old.
So going out for meals and easy walks along beaches are now really all I can do.
As my friends have aged at the same rate as me they have accepted this for the most part whilst regretting it.
The conversation often involves memories of now dead spouses. None of us have survived without losing some of our loved ones...but I’m the only one who has lost all of mine so yesterday I tried very hard to explain why I need to be away at Christmas.
I think they understand now...
I just wish I did!


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