Lunch in the Museum of Ham*

Every now and then when you’re caught up in the moment the whole effort of Leaving disappears. In general such moments are short, too short, they last a few seconds and disappear, before we can savour them. All that’s left are scraps of a sudden smile, an aftertaste of regret and irritation over the fact that eveyrthing that’s good slips so easily through our fingers, our eyes, our ears, our heads...

But last week something special happened! A moment of lightness and joy came! It was bountiful. It was sweet. Sweetly unexpected. It lasted. It lasted in slow motion. It got cosy in the chair and was waiting for me to bask in it. So I got cosy myself and was looking at this moment, a bit from the side, expecting it to suddenly disappear, to escape in a panic. But no – it stayed put and was looking back at me from the side too, maybe a wee bit shy like me.

10, 15 minutes went by and I was waiting and waiting for it to go. But nothing happened. A stubborn cookie! So I got up myself and left, leaving it behind me. After all you can’t be too cheeky with such a Moment.

This isn’t the end of the story, however. The following day I went back to the same place and it was sitting there again. At the same table. It recognised me straight away. Maybe it was even waiting for me? Without much dealay I sat down at its table and for at least half an hour was looking at him, this time a bit bolder. It’s so charming...

Tomorrow I’m going back there. I know it will be waiting for me.

So I’ve made it – after four and a half months Leaving lost some weight. Now it will be easier to carry up my daily stairs.

*A lunch in the Museum of Ham cosists of two courses, bread, a drink (a plentitud of wine) and a dessert or coffe. Everything takes places literally under maturing ham, hanging in rows from the ceiling. And, what adds to its charm, you can write it off your tax.