Moments and Musings /008

Just a few rambling, stream-of-consciousness thoughts from me to you.

It's been a rather adventurous few weeks: Newcastle's winding streets gave way to two languorous weeks at the seaside, where I found myself drawn to the shoreline each morning, the silk of my favourite shorts catching the salt breeze. Manchester followed—a study in contrasts, all industrial grace and unexpected beauty.

When I first began this letter, evening was settling around us, eight o'clock in our hotel room, watching the tennis (still fun, but lost a little of its magic, now that Roger is no longer playing). The day had been busy, but in this stillness, with the city humming just beyond our window, there's a moment to let the weeks' adventures settle into memory like fallen wisteria petals in late spring.

This week, I came across a Substack article exploring the differences between male and female friendships, and the different ways men and women love—both platonically and romantically. It posed an intriguing question: "Would you rather give up all platonic relationships for the rest of your life in exchange for a romantic soulmate, or forgo romantic connection entirely but keep your friends and continue forming new platonic bonds indefinitely?"

While not certain I fully agree with the premise of the article, the question made me realise that I made this very choice years ago, without ever framing it in such stark terms.

I chose the soulmate, and I have no regrets. I chose a love that I would know in total darkness, by the softest press of a hand, a heart I'd know in another lifetime, in other forms, in any world. A love that would last across all of it—until the last ember of the cosmos fades into silence.