Kindred Spirits
In the early days of the pandemic the office owned by the company I work for was closed, and sold. Ever since I have spent my days sitting in the dark of the junk room at home in front of several computers – writing code, taking part in conference calls, and occasionally wandering into the kitchen to make coffee.
Every day has become much like every other day.
In the middle of the endless routine of getting up, having a wash, doing chores, working, doing more chores, helping with dinner, and wondering where the evening went, I somehow began to misplace old friends.
Friendship is a curious thing. I find it tremendously difficult to make new friends. The work involved in crossing the bridge from “acquaintance” to “friend” always seems like such hard work.
Sometimes you discover a kindred spirit half a world away, and marvel at the universe's twisted sense of humour. Why could they not even be on the same side of the ball of mud we all share as it hurtles through space? Perhaps there are unwritten rules woven into the frabric of things – among them that kindred spirits must never cross paths, lest they cancel each other out. It would explain a lot.