A Royal View

This photo was taken from The Queens House. In the distance you can see the Royal Observatory of Greenwich, home to the Prime Meridian of the World. Poetically described as 'the place where time begins'.

However time doesn't begin, nor does it end. It carries on without us, long after we are gone.

I have been someone lucky enough to not have lost many loved ones in my life, and those I have lost have been expected. Old age, long illnesses. I have always considered myself blessed that death has not really touched my life.

During my short time in London, however, two people I have become quite close to have lost loved ones unexpectedly. A partner, and a parent. In both situations, I could not help but to put myself in their shoes, to try and imagine how I would feel, say, react, if it happened to me. I didn't get very far. I ended up crying, eating chocolate and sending 'I love you' messages home.

One night, when it had been four weeks since Nura had lost her boyfriend, we were out with the other girls from work and catching up with Stu, a guy who had left the school and the end of last term. As the night went on, he revealed to us that his dad had been killed in a car accident just a day before. He wanted to be with good, fun people, he said. So we did our very best to be good and fun. Later in the night, I was standing in the beer garden with Nura and Stu. He said “It just isn’t fair, you know?" And she said “No, it's not, but what I've learnt is this: Life is finite, and you just have to keep reminding yourself that YOU are still alive, and you have to look after yourself, one day at a time."

Since that night, I have carried those words with me: Life is finite. Something we all know, but rarely act like we do. I think these words are a far more accurate adaptation of the common philosophy of 'Life is short'. Life, in most instances, is not short at all. It is in fact the longest thing we ever do. No, life is not short, but it is not infinite either. I think we would all do well to remind ourselves of that every once in a while.

Good day blippers, go tell your 'someones' that you love them.