This weekend I drive to Birmingham, to go to a conference – I need to go to top up my ‘continuing education’ points – compulsory in most professions these days.

There, will be 600 or so colleagues, many of whom will know me personally, or know who I am.

This will be my first foray of this sort since my accident.

I’ve been to this conference probably 10 times. It was always a combination of bumping into people I know, drinking a lot and getting points whilst fairly hungover.

I’ve learnt since my accident that there is a vast difference between friends and colleagues when it comes to an ongoing relationship.
Friends don’t go away, but colleagues who you considered friends almost all do.
There’ll be a lot of people who’ll see me and think ‘ shit, Russ is here. I never got round to texting/ phoning/ emailing/ Facebook’ing/ sending that card to / visiting him.. What am I going to do now? Pretend not to see him? Rush up and say hi? Mention the chair? Not mention the chair? ‘

It’ll be an interesting/ uncomfortable evening and day, for sure.

There are a few that don’t fit into the above category, but only a few.

Moral of the story?

Value your REAL friends. You might just need them one day.

Thanks to Michelle for her visit last weekend, plus to Neal, Debs, Dan, Marky P, Emily, and Pia for their ongoing  friendship.

And to Dani, for a lot of things x