Companionable

When I was younger the 'tick' meant everything.
As I got older and my ambitions bigger the tick became the summit, the first ascent, the glory.
As I got better and better the manner of that ascent rose to prominence.

The foolish vanities of youth.

Time's steady march, the forced lessons of life, the loss of what was in searching for what should and could be... all have helped me to the realisation that it was always the who with that mattered most. Having had that withheld for so long it was wonderful to wander in the wonder today with friends of five decades, the exuberance of Missy matched by the excitement of our youngest god-daughter. We reckon this might have been the longest we've all been apart, it seemed both far too long and insignificant in equal measure.

Sat with our backs on a sun warmed rock I drifted a while. Whilst I wouldn't swap (nearly) any of those faded moments of majesty - I was lucky to (nearly) always do then with people I loved - I'm slowly finding an appreciation of these quieter gentler moments of magic.