Tuesday, March 27, 2007

"Every Man's Death Diminishes Me...

.....For I am involved with Mankind" by John Donne

For Mr C.
They say that if you've got children or dogs you'll make friends easily. I can vouch for that; some of my closest friends now are those I met at the school gates and having dogs has had the bonus of introducing me to a whole bunch of other people whom I wouldn't normally have met. The interesting point about mixing with my dog walker friends is that while it's too tempting to talk progeny with other parent friends, believe me, no one's going to talk dog all evening.

One of the regular bunch a retired man well into his seventies was there in the woods every morning without fail. He had a bad heart and a bad hip but would roll on up the hill to the spot in the photo and sit on those rocks there catching his breath before starting down again. We chatted about dogs, about the weather, about life and, of course, politics. He died at the weekend following heart surgery. The strangest thing was that just before he went into hospital on our last walk together he told me his life.... we'd never talked about personal stuff..but now that I think about it I possibly spent more time talking to him over the last seven years than most of my friends.
I shall miss him.

12 comments:

Pam said...

Isn't it amazing how deeply a person - not family or necessarily 'friend' - can touch our spirit?

A lovely post for me and wonderful memory for you.

xx
Pam

Loui (and his mum!) said...

Aw bless the old man! At least you made his time happy by talking with him!

J x

tut-tut said...

Perhaps he knew intuitively what was waiting around the corner. I'm glad you were there to listen and engage with him.

JP (mom) said...

I shall miss him with you ... what a lovely story and experience. I hope that you embrace the honour of that experience (as I'm sure you have!) Lovely and thank you for sharing dear Angela ... much peace and love, JP

Shaz said...

Ang how sweet and how lovely that precious time was its these things that we can cherish and remember. I am sure he loved every second of it as you did.

Unknown said...

What a moving story...how wonderful that you were able to "connect" with him when he must have needed so badly to have a sympathetic listener. A lovely spot for a lovely memory.

Gypsy Purple said...

Maybe it was the same for him...maybe you were the person HE talked to...nice tribute

Kerry-Anne said...

I'm so sorry for you that you've lost a friend, but also so glad that you had the opportunity to know him and to have all those walks and conversations with him. Finding common ground with strangers is an experience that makes us feel more alive, in my opinion.

angela said...

Thank you for your comments.

What constantly fascinates me is the connections we can make with each other if we're open to the possibility...
"every man's death diminishes me for I am involved in mankind"
John Donne
Angela

Unknown said...

I have always loved that quote too.

Open Grove Claudia said...

I am sorry for your loss. It's amazing to me the intricate fabric of life and the wonderful characters that make up each thread.

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