5th August - Close and intimate

We recently watched Leigh Sales' interview with Blanche d’Alpuget back in 2019 where she recalled the final year of her husband’s (Bob Hawke's) life. Ms d'Alpuget shared:

It was both difficult and it was also one of the best times of our lives, because we were so close and intimate during that time while I was his main carer.

When we heard that we looked at each other and nodded.

When Pat and I raced double handed on our Class 40 yacht Croix du Sud, our relationship reached a new level. We worked on how to get the best out of each other's strengths, and to mitigate our weaknesses. We shared our fears and what support we needed from the other in order to combat them. When faced with a life-threatening situation, we needed to know how we both would respond. We needed to have each other's back. By the time we'd achieved the finish line in Brazil, our relationship had reached the deepest level possible.

Or so we thought. Taking this journey together has made us even closer - as we go through waves of different emotions and share our hopes, dreams, regrets and disappointments. And for one person to be cared for by another is such an intimate act - in discarding layers of pretence and committing to personal dependencies. We again agree with Ms d'Alpuget:

We’ve been blessed to have this period together.