Grateful for a perfect day.

I just returned from a wonderful London day out with Ralph. First to the National Theatre to see a Tom Stoppard and Andre Previn collaboration called 'Every Good Boy Deserves Favour'.  Then a walk across Waterloo Bridge, stopping to take in the dying clear light of a winter afternoon over the Thames and Houses of Parliament. A walk through Covent Garden  shops and seeing lots of buying 'possibles' but nothing that screamed 'must have'. On to Chinatown beautifully decorated with New Year red lanterns and crowded with tourists. Eventually stopping for Chinese food and finally home. Super day and interesting conversation  with Ralph over dinner about the play this afternoon.

What principles do we live by? How rigidly do we hold our principles and actually, what are those principles?  How far would I risk myself for those principles?  These were all questions raised by the play we saw and I really had to stop and think about the principles I live by.  I don't have a great religious belief. It seems to me that it is easier to follow a religion and not have to worry about where to draw your moral line. It's already written down and drawn for you. 

I know that I value and respect human life, though I think I would be prepared to defend my loved ones and myself with violence if necessary.  I have a general respect for honesty and do not, as a rule, steal, though I'm not sure that if the Inland Revenue did not make a mistake in my favour I would rush to tell them.  I certainly don't covet my neighbour's spouse, or anything else of theirs and I generally try to approach life with compassion and love. I certainly am 'early to rise and early to bed', but unfortunately this is an aspect of my innate laziness and not particularly worthy. I try to live an ethical life above all. I want to live a life filled with love and consideration.

All of these questions and no really clear answers over an all you can eat Chinese meal with Ralph.

I also just finished reading 'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy. I was in turns enthralled and terrified by this book. The writing was beautiful and poetic and the questions it raised were troubling and challenging in the same way as the Tom Stoppard play.  The vision of a post-apocalyptic world in which you are thrown back on yourself and there is nothing, literally nothing else, reduces your life and world to complete basics - good, evil, right, wrong, light and dark.  I guess we create our own morality and life laws whether there are two people in the world or two billion.

Now I am home. It's warm and cozy and there's tea in the pot and bread and butter pudding in the oven. Ralph is home with me.  I am so blessed to have so much. It's good to remember that.