Minding the gap

There are some buildings so monumental and historical you will recognise them in the blink of an eye. In London we have so many of the structures and when you see them everyday and week, you start to need to escape. If Big Ben is London’s signature building then what is London’s signature sound? The Tube? Everybody moving around and escaping the last station. As we all escape and the summer holiday season begins we reach the vital question. Whether to leave it all behind, the baggage, the friends; or to come back, to revisit the past and let it be in the future? “Are you travelling one-way or return?”

Departing is the excitement before the real excitement. It’s the anticipation and the questioning of what will be? In life we’re always departing for something new, another day at school, at work, another day at life. But why is it that departing in this sense is so different? Where does the excitement go? Is it because the same journey done repeatedly is so hard to believe in? Is it because the buildings we see are still there and nothing changes? Change is therefore the ultimate excitement in any journey. And if the journey is a result of change then we face the best journey of all.

There are those that worry they have missed their stop. There are those that worry if they’re even on the right tracks. But there are those that reassure themselves with fate. Those that say, “if it was important for me to get off there, I would have felt it.” What is it about fate that we search for? Is it an excuse for our own beliefs? When we feel something isn’t right why do we blame it on fate? Are we all scared of reality? Are we all scared of our own feelings? Why when we feel something is perfectly fine for others to do are we so scared to come out and accept we would as well?

What about arriving? Sometimes we are disappointed by what we see. The luxury we were promised is nothing more than a luxury reception. Is this what we all do? Are we putting on a brave face but inside are scared? When on our own we often say “ye I’m fine.” But are we really fine? Is it that we just don’t want to share our problems? Or is it that sharing them might make them real? What we all face is a trouble to ourselves but we must recognise that in each of our lives we all face troubles. We all have something to mull over. We all worry about something, because there is always something for everyone. But what we all do is just human. Because while there is always a problem for everyone, there also always lies an opportunity for everyone. It may not be evident, but when is it ever? We may have to dig to find it. But where there is negative, like the world itself balanced in magnetic fields, there is also positive to cancel out.

And then there’s the question of return. While we all would love to live in this fantasy holiday, on a dreamy island with endless sun. We can’t stay here forever. Eventually we have to return. Because often, even though we may have escaped, behind us London is coming to find us. Because home will always chase you everywhere you go. It won’t let go and in your heart neither will you. So one way may seem like a good idea but in the end will just end up being uneconomical. We are all on a journey ourselves. Each of us sent from somewhere only to return there when we pass on. And sometimes the journey is only short lived, but the memories live longer than the people left behind to pass them. This journey, much like the Waterloo and City line has very few stops but is short and very sweet.

Escaping can never be long term, because we hear our home calling, and our hearts groaning, despite the fun we may have. Returning is the breath of air that we taste, that vibe, the rush. And then we see the building, and although it may not have changed, we have. And that is life.

R.I.P. Ben Kinsella