I read it again; this lovely piece and then read it to my wife and found myself crying. Here’s a more considered response.
It used to be that I’d think about my dad and he was a man from another age. Where he was, was so far away from where I was. Now I feel as if I’m standing alongside him and young people are so far away.
I still feel 14, 15, 16, maybe 17 when I wake up – but it’s a different kind of feeling. There’s a kernel of me that remains as optimistic and generous and full of mischief as I was then; but it recedes quickly, just as I’m sure it did with my dad every morning.
I’ve crossed over. It’s not only that just that last month I reached retirement age, it’s that I can feel it in my bones. I have reached that plateau and when I get to the end of it, it will be a downhill slope. Somewhere in the background, I’m aware that I must be ready for it when it comes.
I think our dad would’ve recognised each other, you describe a man with very familiar values – and mine was a keen golfer too.
There’s a diamond in my wedding ring. One day I noticed it wasn’t there any more. I thought ‘I guess one day I’ll replace it’. Then a couple of weeks later I saw something sparkle on the steps outside my house - I guess it had been waiting for me.
