As Time Goes By

It's 25 degrees in London today, although it definitely feels hotter. I've just come back from basking in the sun and testing the tanning factor on the grass next to the Thames. Aaah, this is the life! It is SO good to have summer finally arrive. Yesterday was pretty much the same, if a bit hotter, and we've been making the most of it by spending every second we can outside - even when we're in the house, we're sitting on our balcony - the pic on the left was taken yesterday; our first 2007 summer sunset.

Winter on this side of the pond seems to go on forever. It's the complete opposite of Cape Town's endless summer, where it starts getting warmish in September and the cold only arrives late April (well, that was before the crazy climate changes anyway). Case in point: the longest day of the year in Britain is 22nd June. Which is 20 days away, but summer has only just arrived! Scientists (guesstimaters) predicted that this summer will be the hottest that Britain has yet seen. They also say that each upcoming winter will be the coldest yet, and that coupled with the generally unpredicatable fall of the weather here, it's no wonder nobody believes anything the weather people have to say.

It's been a good week all round really. Everyone's spirits have lifted with the departure of the semi-permanent grey skies, and invitations to summer braais, drinks by the Thames and parties of all manner are flooding in, both from friends on facebook and for my team at work. S and I will hopefully start planning a summer party for our team soon, and of course, my 10 year High School Reunion is this year, and I said I'd be happy to instigate the planning of the London leg, since there are so many of us over here. I should get cracking soon though - summer here is intense, hot and very fleeting! Phillygirl has been hard at work on our school reunion booklet, which I have helped her put together (mostly by assisting with nagging the slackers to get their entries in on time) over the last month or so. She came up with the idea to have everyone write a short paragraph and send in an updated picture, so she could put into a booklet and send it to everyone around the time of the reunion. I think it's awesome, and judging by some of the entries we've already received, is going to be a very worthwhile read.

We all have those people in school who we're still curious about. Maybe it's the popular girl who seemed to have everything, or the brilliant rugby player who looked set to make a professional career out of his sport, or the troublemaker who was regularly suspended and who looked as if they were heading with a one way ticket to nowhere. No matter who it is, there are some people that you are interested to hear about - how did their lives turn out in the end? Are they who you remember? Who's married, divorced, got kids or living the jet-setting life? Who's dead (answer to that: no-one we know yet, but there are some e-mails going unanswered)? It takes you back to what seems like just yesterday, when you were marching for a final time down the school halls after valedictory; when you were on the cusp of adulthood, your whole lives ahead of you - the world was your oyster. We're hardly past it now, but still, it seems quite incredible that we've been out of school for a decade already. And I'm sure there are many of my former classmates who would join me in thinking, what on earth have I done with my life since then? I guess at age 18, when you're wide-eyed and fresh-faced and you really haven't got a clue which direction life is going to take you, you think that 10 years down the line you really will have it altogether. I know for myself, I thought I'd be married with a house by now, a stable and fulfilling career, and maybe even thoughts of a kid on the way. Real life's not quite like that - I'm not married, although I have met and am in a relationship with the man I will marry; I don't own a house and will more than likely only get around to that in the next couple of years; I certainly can't imagine having a child right now and my career is, well, let's just say I'm working and it's good for now - it's hardly the kind of thing that's going to get me into Time Magazine.

But there are other things I have instead. I've spent years cultivating friendships with a group of friends who are as close to me as my own family; I've found the love of my life and am in no rush to make it official; I'm living in London and am busy travelling the world and using the time to get as much career experience in different fields as possible, and I'm living life to the full here with a bunch of people who I wouldn't ever have wanted to experience this without. And I've made mistakes - 10 years worth of mistakes and heartbreak and regrets along with the good times, which have all made me into who I am today. And I'm pretty proud of that person, so I can say that although I'm not where I expected to be in terms what I've done, I'm further than I ever expected to get in terms of who I am. And I know that really, that's far more important - I have all the time in the world (minus 10 years!) to catch up with the rest.

This school reunion business is really nostalgic and making me feel quite reflective. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone to hear how they feel about life. I've met up with a few old school friends here already, and it was with great relief that I found none of them had it all figured out either. It seems like everyone is still a work in progress, and I guess the idea you have when you're 20 of having it all together by 30 is a naive one, because if you're so settled that you've stopped growing and dreaming and reaching, your life is not one to inspire envy. Having it all together doesn't mean that much today - doing the things that inspire you to greater heights and that give you irreplaceable memories - that's the real fabric of life. I could do with making more money, but couldn't we all!

As for those people who are totally sorted and pitch up at the reunion with their smug "look how I got it right" attitudes... be careful, the rest of us "works in progress" will eat you alive!