Wistful Thinking.

[Taimar]

Do you ever feel bad that you don't talk to old friends anymore? Or that you haven't talked to them in a very long time? Because I do. All the time, really.

There are many people who mattered, and still matter, to me who I really miss but haven't spoken to in years, sometimes decades. Now, in a few rare cases, that's by choice. But mostly, it's just that the amount of time that's passed and the amount of things that have happened are overwhelming.

I feel bad, too, that I haven't actively participated in the GTXF universe for a long, long time. Really, I went through some real trauma in 2005-6, and that's around the time I just pulled back - I had to focus on things day by day at the time, and then weeks turned into months, and months turned into years, and here we are. I'm still around every now and then. I still see people and talk to GTXF people - particularly Adam and Guillermo and Bill. But I'm not really around, and I miss that old community.

I'm a very busy person nowadays, which limits my online time in many ways. But last night I got one of many recent reminders about the passage of time.

I was trolling around a box of old photos for today's Instagram post, which turned out to be a picture of the old Bristol Cars showroom in Kensington. I wouldn't be me if there were no obscure car mentioned in my first thread in years, right?

But in the same box was a photo from the same day, somewhere else in London probably closer to Waterloo station.

That was the day I met samoht, who I think was the first person I met from the old GTF in person. Wagsboy lived only two hours away from where I lived at the time but somehow samoht was the person I met first, back when "internet friends" were still an unusual thing. That was 20 years ago now.

That was a good time, and I feel like for all the very positive things in the years since (for example, I've been in a great relationship for 11 years now), the world's not quite the fun place it was back then.

I realize now that I haven't talked directly to Tom in probably a decade or more and I feel bad about it. Bad enough to actually post said picture, and here we are. I still have that leather jacket, not that it fits anymore, and I still dress like that.

I'm sorry I've been away.

TomandMe2000.jpg

[Crazed_Insanity]

Welcome back?

[FaultyMario]

I miss you too, buddy.

No need to apologize for living a life.

[Yw-slayer]

It's cool man, good to hear from you again!

[JoshInKC]

That is weird - I thought about you literally yesterday when a friend told me his daughter's guinea pig was pregnant and asked if I wanted any of the litter. (The answer was no.)

[Cam]

Hi! Nice to hear from you. Yes, it is a shame that we grow apart from old friends. Priorities change due to work, family, etc. It happens to everyone, sadly.

I follow oldmotors on Instagram. Although, I do not like or comment because I want my suggested feed to be maker and wood-related stuff. Your photography and write-ups are excellent. I should have created two accounts from the get-go, a personal one for friends and random stuff and the other for my brand.

Keep up the great work.

[MR2 Fan]

Good to have you back!

[dodint]

We all take breaks, some longer than others. I checked out for a few years to kind of refresh myself. Glad I came back.

Very glad you are here.

[speedpimp]

Welcome home Alex.

[Leon]

I didn't know you were on Insta ... now I do, and I've followed you

Although we've never met, I think I'd thoroughly enjoying sitting down with a coffee and talking weird cars for hours. Perhaps one day we shall do so.