The Importance of friendship

When I was in my early twenties, as well as working during the day in an office, I also worked as a barmaid in a pub. I needed to do it to make ends meet, but it was also great fun and formed the greater part of my social life at the time.  One particular friend that I made was L, we immediately hit it off and our friendship grew as time went on, until she was my best friend and general accomplice.

Then one day a new guy started working behind the bar.  J was a few years younger than us.  I liked J from the start.  He had recently broken up with a long term girlfriend and held the general opinion that all women were dreadful, making him enormous fun to tease, which he took in remarkably good humour.

But L saw more and as their relationship progressed, she proved him wrong time and again, until he had no choice but to realise that some women weren't bad at all, that she in particular was great and that maybe he should keep hold of her.  Which was a very wise choice indeed, as it turned out and they got married.  I was so proud to be L's bridesmaid and to be a part of their big day, it was such a very happy time.

Life moves on, as it is wont to do, and over the following years, L and I grew apart.  She was married and having babies, and I (quite rightly) was not a part of that.  I was getting on with my own life.  But I never worried about her. Because she had J to look after her.  I knew that although life would have its ups and downs, she had everything that she wanted with J.

But I was wrong.  You should never stop worrying about your friends.  You should never let time go by without checking in.  Because before you know it a month has gone past. And then another one. And then before you know it, it's a year, then another one.  How does that happen?  Where does the time go?

If anyone reading this has fallen out of contact with people that they care about, then I urge you to get in contact with them. Right now. Pick up the phone, send them a Facebook message, however you do it, just do it.  If you know good people, then let them know that you care. Don't leave it until it's too late.

J died in a road accident on New Year's Day. He leaves behind him a loving wife, two daughters and a huge number of people who will miss him enormously. I hope he knows that I am one of them.  The world is a sadder place without him in it.

Welcome to 2015

This year I feel like I need to shake things up a bit. I've been living very deeply in my comfort zone and while that's not necessarily a bad thing (it's so warm and cosy in here!) it's time to find out what else is going on out there.

So to get the year started off on the right foot, I'm doing another Whole30 and I'm also taking part in Janathon again this year.

I've also set myself a couple of goals:

1. To spend the first half of the year focusing on more high intensity exercise, rather than endurance stuff.  I'm going to try and get quicker over shorter distances, so no marathons for me until at least the second half of the year, possibly not until 2016.
2. To try at least one new thing a month every month this year and to blog about it.

So on the Janathon front, I decided that a good way to see in the new year would be to get up and get running in time to see the sunrise. I was able to pressgang a couple of my lovely running friends into coming with me (even though they'd only got to bed an hour earlier thanks to some enthusiastic *ahem* carb loading the night before) and off we trotted, through the woods to the top of Hydon's Ball, where we indulged in a spot of trig point planking. We were soon joined by some of our walking friends just in time to see.... nothing. Worst sunrise ever, very grey heavy clouds. There's probably a life lesson in there somewhere.  But we had a lovely time and all agreed that despite the lack of sleep and probably still high levels of drunkenness from some members of the party that it had been quite a good idea after all.

My lovely running friends. Except the monkey, I don't know that guy