Snowflake by Carole Day. Ink and brush on paper.
A Path through Time
Preface
I began writing these episodes when Edwin, my husband, was seriously ill in hospital with little prospect of improvement. He was in danger for a long time, but gradually, against all the odds, he recovered. Nevertheless, I suppose these experiences cause us to become more aware of our own mortality as well as those of our loved ones, and to reflect on our lives and those pivotal events that define us. This is my very personal story. The title is taken from a quotation by Professor Brian Cox, talking in a television programme about the forces of nature. He was describing the journey of a snowflake falling through the atmosphere to earth and how the varying conditions it encounters on the way create each element of its structure. Every time the temperature changes the shape of the crystal is altered so that each snowflake becomes a template of its journey. Each one is unique, for, as Professor Brian Cox expressed it: “… no two paths through time are ever alike.”
I believe it is the same with people; each circumstance in our lives affects us and makes us just a little more the person we are, so that eventually we are all unique, the result of our own path through time. These pages track those moments that have defined my own journey.
Forces of Nature with Brian Cox. Episode 1 (2020) BBC2: 6 June 10.00 hrs.
