Who Am I Going to Play With When I Get Old?

Here’s something interesting. Stretch your arms to your sides out as far as you can. Now middle finger tip to middle tip represents the estimated age of our Earth. Left hand side “The Big Bang" right hand side “Today". Starting from the right, estimate how far you would have to travel along your arm to see the dawn of mankind. First knuckle? Wrist? Forearm? Elbow? ............ Read on, the answer’s at the end.

Since that dawning it’s estimated that 107 billion have trodden this Earth before us. The dead outnumber the living at about 15:1

Soon, hopefully not too soon, I’ll be joining the 107 billion who have gone before. It’s all a bit mind boggling, only Jeff Bezos understands those kind of numbers.

What I do understand however, whoever you are, you’ll almost for sure leave a gap sometime, somewhere. Those gaps come in all shapes and sizes. Some, in time, will lessen and heal, some will be profound and last forever, some gaps will stay raw and painful and some will make you smile and pick you up.

Some friends enter the dizzy heights of, let’s call them “Amis sans Limites”. These friends often speak the truth straight from the heart. Friends who ground us, who are never afraid to tell you painful realities, who you can cry with as well as laugh with. Friends who can say

“Who am I going to play with when I get old?”

I think I’ve done a lot of damage limitations. Hopefully reading these posts will go some way to help you plug some of those gaps that I will inevitably leave and along the way. In a similar way I hope I’ve helped friends with gaps they’re already, unfortunately, acquired.

For a change of scenery Tricia has booked a campsite near Okehampton to take the motorhome next Tuesday and Wednesday night. A change of scenery won’t do Tricia and I any harm at all. Of course that means I’ll not be nearby for a coffee on Thursday.

I've mentioned before the idea of a guest blog. It’ll probably make a change from listening to me wittering on. So what about it, well why not? If you have something to say to me, about me, or something salient I’ll post it right here on my blog.... go right ahead.

By good fortune and happenstance I have a guest blog already. I'll post it later today.

The answer to the question an the outset is;

The distance you would need to travel is the equivalent of a single swipe of a nail file on the nail of your middle finger.