A few days earlier at Hadrian’s Wall
I’m not often described as a man of boundless energy. I prefer a slower pace of life. But when I travel I want to eke out every moment possible. I’m don’t mind being the first one up and the last one to bed if it means seeing and doing more in an amazing place like England. Luckily, my friend Peter is much the same way.
Peter and I designed this trip together. We co-wrote the grant, worked for countless hours designing the research agenda, and burned through a few gigs of google docs planning and replanning the itinerary. We enjoy working together.
The itinerary for this day was unscheduled. Our compatriots were free to scatter to the four winds, exploring interests unique to their expertise. With my most serious academic interests satiated, I had a day free to roam. Peter was on a quest for cathedrals. Ely Cathedral was one of the last on his list. I had no need to see Cambridge, but I desired it. We decided to make a full day of it. A few trains, a dozen miles of walking, and a little determination meant we could do it all. And we did.
I don’t know how many hours we wandered around these various English towns, but we talked without ceasing. He explained to me the finer points of his research. I tried to make mine sound as impressive. We talked about our road to academia, our families, the incomparable deliciousness of an English scone. We talked of the formative books that shaped our view of the world and found a bibliography that would be flagged for plagiarism.
In an oft-quoted passage from C. S. Lewis’s Four Loves he describes friendship thusly:
“Friendship arises out of mere Companionship when two or more of the companions discover that they have in common some insight or interest or even taste which the others do not share and which, till that moment, each believed to be his own unique treasure (or burden). The typical expression of opening Friendship would be something like, "What? You too? I thought I was the only one."
This is a pretty piece of prose. Lewis had a way with that. But it also happens to be true. This was a “What? You too? I thought I was the only one” sort of day. If you can arrange it, I recommend you have one as well. The sooner the better.
