More Beautiful Every Day
The gig is over, the band has left the stage and then returned to pack up. But the audience is till there. Awkward…
So, we look at why it may be that endings can be uncomfortable and it is not always easy to leave a given situation. Perhaps this reflects our fear of leaving altogether? Why are we so reluctant to talk about that – to engage with the topic of death?
When I was 25, I had my first encounter with bereavement. A good friend, who had been an inspiration to me, died in a car crash. Alistair had been, somehow, ahead of the curve. He was a free spirit, well-traveled and highly intelligent.
We had recently resumed contact after a period during which we had both been away. I was excited for Alistair to see where I was now living and to meet my friends. It had taken until into my 20s before I had begun to understand how I fit into things and really wanted to share this with him.
When Alistair died, I wasn’t well-equipped to deal with it. I went, with a friend, to his funeral but felt awkward and out of place. Not joining his family for the wake was a mistake. But… I did write a song.