Time Complicated
There was a time before everything got too complicated..
Where patience was a virtue and the risks were blood and bone.
Trailing raindrops with fingertips from the dry embrace of a bus we had waited for.
The thrill of the phone ringing and the disappointment when it wasn't for you.
Our smart tech were our minds, cameras our eyes and apps our social circles.
The games played were for the adventure, not to level up.
The bike jumps built, were more of an experiment in engineering and physics, than they were a tribute to staying fit.
And no-one was sharing photos of themselves, everyday, on public billboards.
We were disappointed when the sun was finally setting and we had to go home for dinner.
Yet a simple, "Same time tomorrow?" and there was enough wind in the sails to get back with gusto.
Going dancing was about drawing out collective pleasure from music, rather than escapist consumption to feel like a human worth talking to.
Gardens were something to foster, infusing joy into your life everyday and not seen as a burden between work and sleep.
Where a person in need, presented an opportunity to be of service instead of planning to profit off them.
A naturally occurring sunset would cause absolute wonder and inspiration, without being tainted by the prolonged desensitisation of CGI.
The world was your oyster and all it took was the courage to step in and make your mark.
Where second guessing your PR and marketing strategy were minor considerations, in comparison to a stronger connection to customers and your craft.
It wasn't about getting something for "good value" but getting something with good values.
The industry hadn't beaten the hospitable nature out of hospitality and the front doors of education weren't stifled by red tape.
And looking back from today's seat,
I wonder about the larger pattern of it all.
The sentimentality held around times familiar in growth.
I ponder the future perceptions and the integrity they are formed by.
Will they bring peace to a troubled soul?
Food to the mouths of the hungry?
Or love to those bathed in fear?
Currently, the world is going through some challenges.
Division runs as rampant and wild as bunnies in the spring.
And we are sorely lacking leaders.
So hold your sentimentality for what it is.
Dance with it like an old flame and observe how you have changed since them.
Grasp your biases and shake them free of superfluous weight, and see what is left. These things will show you attachment, foundations of judgement and delivery from blindness.
When sewing shut your wounds of division and taking inspiration from your own dance moves in the fire,
Then you can lead yourself home.