I love these slow days between Christmas and New Year mostly because there is an absence of expectation. On a recent episode of "Sideways" my friend Martin and I discussed how Christmas is an exciting time for alcoholics because everyone else is drinking Prosecco at breakfast time and thereby … [Read more...] about How To Get Out Of Almost Anything
Change
How To Find Yourself
My daughter has just been away on holiday with her boyfriend on the beautiful Welsh coast. She arrived home with a bag full of enthusiasm and strangely flavoured rock. Last night she was home for dinner and it felt like an age since I'd seen her. "You must miss her. She was always in your … [Read more...] about How To Find Yourself
How Things Change Less Than You Think They Will
I’ve been away in the scorching hot sun of a European heatwave. The mercury rose to the mid ’30s and that’s where it stayed all week, with no air conditioning. The only place which could be described as refreshingly comfortable was the swimming pool until I climbed in on top of a wasp which stung me … [Read more...] about How Things Change Less Than You Think They Will
How Learning Happens Even When You’re Stuck
Spending a day at University with my daughter we are listening to a presentation about student life. She is conscientious and committed, but she worries that everything she learns won’t stay in her head and be there when she needs it. I can remember my first episode of depression soon after I’d … [Read more...] about How Learning Happens Even When You’re Stuck
How To Be Distracted
I need to write a presentation but I am finding it hard to craft the beginning. To avoid the discomfort of sitting and staring at an empty screen I go and make coffee but, as the minute's tick by, I start to feel bad about myself, about not using my time efficiently. To avoid the growing feeling … [Read more...] about How To Be Distracted