Home

I lost a new friend this week.  He was someone that I barely knew, a fellow wanderer, with whom I shared two short work expeditions before he died suddenly, doing what he loved, on the hill. I don't wish to say much about this loss, he has dear friends and family who will be grieving deeply.  However, it did stop me in my tracks and make me think about what I'm doing, working away from home so much, "living life to the full" but missing out on the love of the people nearest to me, and the chance to return it.
I've lived my life without compromise.  I have cared little for financial gain, followed my dreams, and tried to live each moment to the full,  hitting that old cliche on the nose- "as if it was my last".  And yet in doing so it has meant that I have missed out on raising a family, and spent long weeks away from home. People envy me, my drive, my luck, my dream job, and everyone understands why I do it. But when someone I knew was taken from the world without warning this week, the only place I wanted to be was home.