Magic Monday

Looking outside as the wind and rain lashes my backyard (not a euphemism) and it seems a far cry from the glorious weather we were all enjoying a year ago. 

Today’s Bank Holiday marks a year to the day that in a rare display of rebellion, I broke the shackles of lockdown to meet a woman for a walk near Ullswater. At that point in time, you were only allowed to leave your house for some local exercise, there was none of this one-on-one malarky.

We’d been texting, messaging and zooming back and forth for some weeks in the lead up to it. Moreover, we’d jointly constructed a playlist of over 100 songs. It had been her idea to build the list on the foundation of anecdotes and stories related to each track, it later evolved to include musicals on Friday. It was a great idea and a really nice way to get to know one another whilst being introduced to music and songs that we weren’t previously aware of.

I felt a connection that I hadn’t felt in the longest time, here was someone that “got” me and who I felt that I “got” too. I was falling and falling hard for her. On that beautifully warm sunny day a year ago we met, we kissed, we walked to the summit of a hill (whose name escapes me) looking across Ullswater and there we lay down and held each other for a while.

Having been locked down for the previous few weeks with limited stimulation, the beauty of the day, the company, the feeling of freedom, the surreality and the sprinkle of magic completely swamped my senses and delivered everything of a strange ethereal feeling, particularly as we got back to the car park and had a clumsy dance whilst It’s Been a Long, Long Time played on the stereo.

We continued messaging and saw each other a few more times, but eventually guilt over breaking lockdown and generally over-thinking everything (y’know, for a change) got the better of me and I felt I had no option but to end things. Understandably, she was left hurt and angry at that point in time - BUT, the last I heard, she is now happily ensconced in a new relationship (as are the other women I have dated over the last couple of years)! Still got it. I wonder if I could monetise this: date me and rest assured you’ll meet the person you really want shortly thereafter!

A lot has happened in the past year and of course, I’ve since had other great days out and experiences. I know that it can be dangerous to live in the past, but I think it’s OK to visit it very now and then, because that day on that hilltop with that woman showed me that if you have the courage to accept it into your soul, there is still some magic left in this world.