All You Need Is Love

I had a visit from a school friend of mine that i hadn't seen in 19 years. 19 years is a long time after spending every single day from Sub A (Grade 0) to Matric (Grade 12). We only had one evening together - and did our best to pack 19 years of our past into a few glasses of excellent scotch.

But before I share our evening I don't believe it would be fair not to mention The Beatles. So here's my tip 'o the bowler hat: I'm not a huge fan of The Beatles. I don't own any of their albums. However, when I hear a Beatles number being played, I sing with gusto and enthusiasm. And I mean it. Admittedly, I prefer the slightly more obscure numbers ... I Am The Walrus .. and Maxwell's Silver Hammer ... And I certainly acknowledge the genius that is John Lennon. There you have it.

Now back to the reunion. After looking at dusty albums and laughing at ourselves 20 years younger, it became apparent to me that my dear friend had something still to prove. Granted, we weren't exactly the jock team at school - but we had fun together and we navigated the social rapids of our youth successfully. Or so I thought. It felt to me that he almost needed to go back in time and prove to all his peers that he had become a success. This didn't make sense to me. He has a beautiful wife, a loving daughter and is recognized in his chosen career. At school he was slightly dopey, and non-descript. After a few hours I asked why he had this desire to change the past and the answer was slightly vague. But when we got down to the brass-tax, I learnt that his mom and dad never .. ever .. told him they love him. I'm sure they do (and did then) but he never heard those few words spoken. And so he felt like wallpaper at school. I find this a cardinal sin. I tell my 4 gorgeous children I love them as often as I can. Sometimes even when they sleeping.

Here's the advice: become a thundershower. Rain down love on the people you care about. And in so doing you will be changing their history. Now thats power.