As the years go on, it becomes clearer and clearer that the ups and downs of living life can feel a bit like a plant trying to survive in the desert. While it can be pretty sunny a lot of the time, the conditions can also be quite hostile a lot of the time and when the weather comes in it can feel pretty challenging to keep going.
This is where you realise the importance of having deep roots to keep you going through everything life has to throw at you.
I was really lucky to have the pleasure of a late lunch with three schoolfriends the other week, two of whom were in my class at primary school. (And primary school was decades and decades ago for me….)
As life blows through, like the changing of the seasons, then people will come and go through your life. Some people will be very special for a particular moment or place in time. Some will stay, some will go far too soon. Some people leave an indelible impression while others will be the flotsam and jetsam of your memories, passing through and moving on before you realise.
But the sheer magic of having people you can turn to, who have been on so much of life’s journey with you cannot be understated, particularly when the conditions around you are challenging. It felt so wonderful to have people around me who’d been around through thick and thin, who accept me just as I am without having to put on any sort of show or defence, who made me feel safe and secure without even having to ask.
This is a really special gift and one to be utterly cherished. Even though I’d not seen one of my friends for five years, when we got together it was as if we’d all seen each other yesterday and it was an utterly splendid time.
All four of us had been in the same biology class back in the 1980s and as the afternoon rolled on it struck me – if making your way through life is like being a plant in the desert, then one of the best ways to survive is to make sure you have deep, strong roots. And for that, I’m very grateful.