...and an abundance of alliteration. Now, Midsummer Night (since today marks the middle of astronomical summer, although meterologically it
is the beginning) is perhaps not the festival one would most readily
associate with schmaltz. That role is one which tends to fall to the
celebrations designated as public holidays, such as Christmas and New
Year. After all, you don't get Wham! lamenting the giving (and losing)
of hearts at Stonehenge, do you? This notwithstanding, as well as being a fan of
Shakespeare's eponymous comedy, I am rather fascinated by the histories
of 'pagan' ritual, and consequently mark my year according to these
older 'holy-days' alongside their slightly more modern counterparts, of
both the religious and secular varieties.
That's not to
say I've ever participated in any kind of revels on this day, though I
might've liked to. One of the items on my 'Before Thirty' list is a
visit to Wiltshire to join in the festivities. I think, however, that is
possible to note the significance of a moment within oneself, in
however small a manner. In deference to the day, therefore, I took the
opportunity to reassess where I find myself, and to look both forward
and back.
This was aided by two events, both comparably small in the grander scheme of things, but significant nevertheless. The first of these was the Warwick Open Day, unusually held in term-time, which allowed prospective students and their families to investigate the facilities on offer here. Not only did I realise that these potential Freshers would not be starting until the autumn of 2014, and are thereby four academic years behind me, but one of them was Emily, younger sister to my friend Lauren, about whom I have posted before. Cue a flying visit and much nostalgia. I can't quite believe how quickly uni has flown by, and that brings me to the second event - the joy of eventually procuring a much-sought-after measuring tape with which to ascertain the size of my head for my mortar board. Graduation is swift in its approach!
So, here is the schmaltz - on this solstice day I have been reminded of the speed at which time passes, as well as the compression effect which seems to occur when you glance back, watching other people do the things that you have done, because it feels like just yesterday that you did them yourself. With this in mind, I'm going to try and savour each and every day (nay, hour, minute, second) of the next three years, before I find myself sitting looking back on them and wondering where they disappeared to.
You now have my permission to cringe.
Happy solstice!
No comments:
Post a Comment