The Great Metaphorical Sandwich

Yesterday i embarked upon the challenge to create my ultimate sandwich, a quest everyone should really consider doing. And it's harder than i first thought, there's so many different flavours that i would have loved to include into it, some have been long lasting favourites, others recent discoveries that have been in perfect harmony with my ever-changing pallet. Some flavours bring back memories that are more enthralling than the flavours themselves, whilst others are simply utterly delectable. But as ever the keys to any good sandwich, or other food, are simplicity and harmonic flavours; meaning that only a few ingredients could make a way into it.

A more important event occurred today though, making all this deliberation pale into insignificance. Today was my last ever school day, from now on i will never have another lesson or school lunch, no more teachers or form time chats. Yes similar things will replace them next year with lectures, lecturers and corridor talks; but it won't be the same. It's a bit unnerving thinking about it, that for the majority of my life i have been at school, and with more than half being spent at my current school, and so that means it's all i've ever known, and now that's all over.

So that gave me the idea for this post, maybe this two unconnected events could somehow be linked, might i be able to write down the hidden meaningful connection (something Dirk Gently would no doubt thrive in doing). However, whilst this sounds all fine and well, alas i cannot do such a thing, as far as i can see there is no connection or meaningful metaphors to draw between the two. So this is a challenge really, if you can think of any, then i will include them into this post at a later date, and unusually i will give you credit for it! Now you might think that considering i've given up on coming up with my own material, this post would end here... of course not i will endeavor to plough on nevertheless, and just hope that somehow along the way i'll stumble upon it all, and have a sudden abrupt enlightenment. So here goes...

First and foremost to any sandwich is the base, the bread. Sub it would have to be, no question about that, and as for type, why good old white bread of course, perhaps a link to what i consider a normal childhood. I say "what i consider" as i have only lived one childhood and so to me it was normal, however to you it may not. I grew up in the place i was born, Macclesfield and went to nursery, reception, and year 1 at a local school St.Brides. It was here that i met my friend who has been such for about 14 years now. What about toppings on the bread? That was easy aswell. Everytime i have a subway, i always go for the Italian herbs and cheese, and now was not the time to change that.

So step one was sorted, that was the easy part. Next what meat to go for? Bacon? No that was too normal for me. The meat would definitely have to reflect upon my second school (disclaimer: this was not an actually factor in deciding the meat) Well not my second school directly, but more of the time i spent in California, which i like to include in my life at all possible opportunities by embracing Americanisms, something which i have been ragged about considering i only lived there for a year and a half. So it had to be bbq what other flavour best describes America, and it just had to be minced beef, creating what is also known as a sloppy joe.

There was a key problem to this though. No minced beef in the freezer, well i had to settle for pork in the end, which in the end turned out awesome. And neatly this brings me to the King's, the place where for the past 10 years i have roamed the corridors (ok maybe roamed doesn't accurately portray it, but it sounds good)(oh and that's been at 2 separate sites, so the corridors haven't been consistent the whole time). You see for various reasons California didn't work out for my family, so we ended up back in Macclesfield (don't ask me why i came back to Macc, i seriously don't know)(disclaimer: the author doesn't have negative views on Macclesfield)

 However the whole metaphor thing falls down completely from now on (if it ever worked in the first place, 'twas worth a try though). In case you were wondering to finish off the sandwich i slathered it with coleslaw and threw on a bit of salad, there is a picture below in case you want to try and recreate the majesty of it. So  now the whole sandwich malarkey is out of the way, i can focus on the main event in my life.

I've watched many leaving scenes from tv shows, all of them strikingly emotional in their own unique way. However this has never really been replicated in my own life, having experienced a few farewells, they're always understated quiet affairs and i suppose before today that is mainly down to the fact that i was staying the same school, so most of the people around me were infact not going anywhere. But today would be different right? I mean this time i'm the only one going to Durham, so potentially this is actually farewell for good.

However after saying all that this is not actually the case, first we have leaver's morning, then exams, then leaver's ball and then results day, and maybe this explains the fact that for me this was yet again and understated affair. Surely nostalgia would play a part, i mean despite the fact that i might see people again, surely it being my final day ever of school would play some sort of part. I think this was the case for a lot of people seeing their responses to this occasion, but yet again for me... nothing.

Maybe it's not the occasions fault, maybe it's me then. I don't really know, i kid that i've got to the point where i'm happy enough to move, having been there for so long, but i'm not sure this is actually the case; i feel like if that were true, then i've been happy to move on throughout the entire time spent there, because that feeling hasn't changed. This would of course suggest that i never felt any attachment to the place or people, but is definitely not the case. So it's truly a mystery to me really, any psychologists out there feel free to try and explain it.

In case you were wondering (although i highly doubt it) my favourite leaving scene (probably because i've watched it the most) is JD's from Scrubs, and whenever i watch it i'm touched by not only his reminiscing of the past, but also his vision of the future. And yet here i am with neither one, don't get me wrong i'm leaving with some great memories but it doesn't feel the same, and as for the future who knows what will happen.

So sorry for rambling on about all that but i thought it was worth sharing, and indeed if you feel similarly underwhelmed by farewells please comment below. As for where i go from here, i'm going into the next 4 years blind and with little plans, so who knows where i'll be in a year; however, one thing i do know is that i will be having another one of those sandwiches.