"THERE'S A MAN
WHO ONLY WILL SPEAK IN CODE,
BACKING SLOWLY, SLOWLY DOWN THE ROAD
MAY HE MASTER EVERYTHING
THAT SUCH MEN MAY KNOW
ABOUT LOVING, AND THEN LETTING GO."
- JOANNA NEWSOM, 'GO LONG'
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A FEW NIGHTS AGO I HAD CONFIDED TO A CLOSE FRIEND OF MINE MY ANXIETIES TOWARDS MORTALITY - PARTICULARLY THAT OF MY FAMILY - AND ITS DEFTNESS AT PUTTING ONE'S LIFE, AND SELF, INTO PERSPECTIVE. IT WAS THE SAME FRIEND THAT INADVERTENTLY INTRODUCED ME TO THE WONDERFULLY CRAFTED JOANNA NEWSOM TRACK ABOVE THAT, AFTER SEVERAL MANTRA-LIKE REPETITIONS, PLACED ME BACK INTO THE HEART OF THAT TRAGIC EMOTIONAL LANDSCAPE. WHAT INSPIRED FRIENDS I HAVE..
YESTERDAY, IN A HURRICANE OF FORESIGHT AND CAFFEINE, I CREATED TWO LISTS INTENDED AS INCANTATIONS OF A SORT, SONTAG-IAN IN MAGNITUDE, TO WILL MY BETTER SELF INTO BEING. THE LISTS WERE LABELLED SIMPLY 'I WANT TO BE' vs. 'I DON'T WANT TO BE'. NOT WISHING TO GO INTO ANY SENSITIVE DETAILS (OF COURSE) THOUGH SAFE TO SAY THE USUAL STOCK FAVOURITES OF 'LAZY' AND 'REGRETFUL' MADE IT TO THE TOP OF THE 'I DON'T WANT TO BE' LIST, ALONG WITH 'SEEKING VALIDATION' - WHICH I THINK IS FAST BECOMING THE PANDEMIC OF THIS iGENERATION. HEADING THE 'I WANT TO BE' LIST WAS SIMPLY 'HAPPY'.
JONATHAN SWIFT ONCE SAID 'NO WISE MAN EVER WISHED TO BE YOUNGER' - A BEGUILINGLY SIMPLE SENTIMENT, AND ONE WHICH GAINS INCREASING RELEVANCE AS THE BRITISH POPULATION AGES. BUT HOPEFULLY WON'T TAKE A LIFETIME TO REALISE..
