Lying awake late I wonder why I’m not asleep. The urge to enquire soon passes with the knowledge that chasing sleep succeeds only in pushing it further away. I need music to soothe me and I scroll through the classical playlists on Spotify wishing my father was here so I could ask him what to … [Read more...] about Why I Wish My Father Had Something To Say
Relationships
Why Too Much Certainty Is Bad For You
My mother went through a stage of making too many chicken casseroles. Shortly after I’d left home I had to go back there to be fed because, as a result of Black Wednesday, my mortgage repayments had become so severe that I literally couldn’t afford to feed myself or heat the house. Each Sunday … [Read more...] about Why Too Much Certainty Is Bad For You
Why Assumption Will Mess Up Your Life
It’s “Stir-up Sunday” the day when we traditionally make the cakes and puddings, allowing them a few precious weeks to mature in the darkness of a cupboard in time for the Christmas festival. Most people, when asked why we call it “Stir-up Sunday”, would make the assumption that it’s a reference … [Read more...] about Why Assumption Will Mess Up Your Life
Why We Can’t Let Love Go
Walking down past the primary school with Daisy a young man, face red and tearful trudges on slowly talking on his phone. I feel a sudden and profound pang of sympathy, then the moment is gone. An hour later, when I’m walking home with a wet, happy and exhausted dog, he’s still there, pacing the … [Read more...] about Why We Can’t Let Love Go
Why Being OK Is Sometimes A Burden
As a kid, the youngest of three, my two siblings had an unfair head start at going off the rails which meant that someone (me) was left trying to be the “good” and “sensible” one. Being OK turned out to be much more of a burden than I had imagined. I can remember my mother always telling me how … [Read more...] about Why Being OK Is Sometimes A Burden