Yesterday I went to a wedding. It was the wedding of the daughter of a fellow worker, someone I consider a friend, but even so I was surprised at the invitation. Very few people from the office were invited, but it’s true that the bride’s mother and I share a bond that has lasted for quite a few years. So, I said yes, even if the prospect of a wedding is not exactly something that I relish. The last wedding …
Category: Personal
I still think of 1982 as the best year of my life, because so many wonderful things happened to me during that year. And you were definitely one of them. You touched my life briefly; we both knew you could not linger, as we knew there was no future for us. But the moments we lived together were so special that we never forgot each other. I kept you as a cherished memory as I believe you kept …
There is an old song by Neil Sedaka called Solitare. I hadn’t thought about it for years, but the other day, as loneliness invaded me, it came to my mind. I remember listening to this song at a time when I knew nothing about being lonely. I was young, surrounded by people. Too surrounded in fact. As a teenager, I had very little freedom, I was controlled all the time and I so wanted to fly with my …
My friend Nora says I’m living in the past. I know she’s right. The past is my refuge, a safe haven from a disappointing present, where each day seems equal to the previous one, with no good surprises, no joy, no enthusiasm, no exciting happenings… just this terrible solitude. And this past is a mix of the more distant years, decades ago, when I was young and reckless and life was a source of excitement – it …
I look around and I see a group of people nearing sixty. Most of my friends were born in 62, like me, so we’re fast approaching that age. A few others are slightly younger, and a few of the men are older by a few years. So, sixty it is for us. Someone was saying the other day, as a joke: “From my birthday on, if I’m run over by a car, they won’t say ‘a man was run …
I could also call it “the fairy tale list” but then, isn’t Cinderella one of the most popular fairytales ever? I think it will do. When you fall in love, the first weeks, months, years if you’re lucky, are like a fairytale, and you endow the recipient of your love with all the qualities of the knight in shining armour who has lived in your dreams for so long: he’s loving, caring, sexy, loyal, faithful and true, intelligent, …
I tend to think 13 is my lucky number and I even recall more than one meaningful Friday 13th in my life; but now that I think of it, 5 must be my lucky number, closely followed by 8. It has to do with the years of my life. The Sixties In 1965 my brother was born; even if at the time I didn’t find it amusing at all – I was terribly jealous – he was …
Amazing how I had never heard this song. I came across it when I was going through my Facebook account, as the musical background of a video with images from the 80’s TV series The Thorn Birds, based on the bestselling 1977 novel by Colleen McCullough. Anyone who has watched that series, or read the book, will never forget the most romantic, and tragic, love story between Ralph, a handsome priest, played by Richard Chamberlain, and Meggie, a girl he has …
Under my bed I keep a few plastic boxes filled with memories of the past: my childhood diaries, old photos, love letters from sweethearts long gone from my life, even if not totally forgotten, wallets from high school and university days, drawings and the sweetest messages from my boys on Mother’s Day. I even found a sort of play written by Beli and me during a Criminal Law class that had me laughing to tears at how our incredible …
I sit at the dining table and look out of the window. It’s pitch dark outside. During the day, I can see the blue of the sea, the white surf of the waves, and it’s such a beautiful view that I lose myself for minutes, taking in the beauty of the scenery and feeling grateful for the privilege of having this very special place by the sea where I can find peace. And solitude, too. Many times, in …
