The Tower

I was on the fast train to London a month ago and just outside Market Harborough I caught a glimpse of a tower. It caught my gaze - perhaps because, as I focussed on it, all else swirled and moved whilst it remained still. But still the image transfixed me. I found my face pressed to the glass and it has been enticing me since. The idea of "The Tower" has mesmerised me in a strange way. I have tried to write about it and I opened a book of WB Yeats poems, at random, in response to a friend's request to read some poetry and it fell open at "The Tower". On a recent journey I tried to find it again and, just as I recognised the wood it is in, my headphones played a Fleetwood Mac song..."Don't take me to the tower, don't take my child away..." I have spoken about it to friends and several have offered ideas, pieces of music and pictures. I am following the muse on this one and, as always have little idea where it will lead. I do know it will link to the idea of height and solace and seeing things from a different perspective, as in my previous piece on mountains - we must have built towers to gain height... It is even informing my thinking about functionality and moral purpose - the train, rushing me to work being the functionality and the still Tower, calm and separate seems to taunt me about higher moral purposes. Weird or what?

This experience turned into a rather  long poem - see separate page of this BLOG

For me, for us, for everyone, for everything!

I love mountains and being up high - it helps clear my head. It must be something to do with a little less oxygen, using concentrated energy and being away from the hurly-burly of day to day work. I always seem to see things in a greater perspective. So, climbing eight Munros last week (including the Inaccessible Pinnacle - see photo) and musing on the three Fs (functionality + philosophy = fulfilment) I began to realise that a good life is a blend of hierarchical motivations: for me - for us - for everyone - for everything. And the higher we are able to go, the more satisfied we are likely to be - just like mountains. And it is OK sometimes to just look after ourselves (for me) in order that we can, look after others. Those closest first (for us) and then wider (for everyone). A new friend observed, on talking through this "Don't forget the environment and sustainability" and so I added (for everything!). Hence the title of this piece, now my new maxim - like the three musketeers!