It would have been my oldest and dearest friend Tim’s birthday today, but sadly he died just over three years ago. I was very sad for a long time, and began to drink even more than usual, but then at some point I decided I’d had enough of that, and stopped doing both. I’m not going to tell you the story of his life, or the story of our friendship – suffice to say, I loved him more than almost anyone. But now I don’t mourn his passing, I laugh at little memories of our times together over the years. However, one thing he didn’t do before he died was let anyone know his passwords to things. Which means his Facebook account is still going, because no-one knows how to turn it off, and reminds all of his friends once a year that it’s his birthday. Or rather, would have been. Don’t let that happen to you – keep a list of all your passwords safe somewhere, with a bank or a lawyer or something, just in case the worst happens. You never know.
Despite having resolved not to be sad, it’s still always a difficult day to get through, but got through it must be. I’m not tagging this or anything, it’s just to let his friends know I’m thinking of him, and them. See you on the other side.
Alastair Swinnerton 