more on authenticity

I've been thinking about this a lot since I last posted. I've been trying and failing to get upgraded to broadband (this post is still on dialup!)

What else is real and authentic?

The is a slowness, effort and appreciation in it is a theme.

A walk v taking the car. When you walk you can appreciate everything from the strike marks of matches on door ways from the 19th Centuary when walking through the New Town to a dog with cute coat. In a car all you notice is traffic.

A train journey v plane travel. Again you notice that you are travelling and journeying but in a plane it all becomes tied up in the sheer uncomforatbleness of plane travel the herding of passengers between lounges, security.

A meal cooked from scratch v warmed in the microwave. As the ingredients cook there is a culinary alchemy going on. It shows that you have the luxuary and care of yourself to cook a real meal. Bonus if you go to somewhere like River Cottage and use the seasonal recipies then you are also connecting with the seaons and nature.

A letter v an email. Again it marks care and time to connect.

A phone call v a letter or email. A deep hungering to connect. I had a wonderful conversation with a friend who I hadn't spoken to in a few months. After I put the phone down she called back after a minute to thank me for the conversation.

A visit in person. Its my plan this year to make sure that I actually see more of my friends in real life. I plan to start buying tickets and making itineraries as soon as I've got the money. I will be dropping in on friends who live near by more often! Again on Sunday I saw The Last King of Scotland with a friend S who I hadn't seen properly for months... afterwards we were able to connect and discuss and argue and get the low down on his new year in the company of Romanian drag queens. I left his company completely buoyed up and I hope he did too.