Catalytic Convert...

It was the perfect moment during an already perfect sunny afternoon by the Thames... I was sitting outside the Queen Elizabeth Hall with my loved one putting the world to rights over a beer or two, both pre and post a screening of the 70's British movie That'll Be The Day at the BFI. We had, had quite a few beers and the discussion turned to our lives together these past 8 or so years... we've been through a lot together you see... and we are still just as strong and maybe even stronger than before... feared by many, understood by few. Then in a moment of pure sun kissed bliss a girl approached urging us to look at a piece of paper that she was eagerly pushing in our direction. On it was a drawing that her younger sister had been toiling over as we were wrapped in close conversation, unaware that we were being observed during our private ruminations. It consisted of a panoramic view of the London skyline opposite, beautifully rendered in early childhood evocation... and there we were for all to see, dominating the foreground space in our mutual euphoria. The mood perfectly captured in infant simplicity. My first thought was that it was the most beautiful drawing that I'd ever seen and I needed to take it home with me as a memento of this wonderful day. But the little girl very wisely declined my request.... reluctantly we then waved goodbye and wished them well as they moved away in the direction of the tube station. The image is however now permanently engraved on my consciousness, never to be forgotten and always to be summoned when I'm standing in the face of adversity.