I’m sitting in the car alone, waiting for everyone else. It’s a familiar scene and one which, oddly, still surprises me. My daughter emerges first. “Where is everyone?” I ask. “Apparently you said we were leaving at 6.15” “It’s 6.14”, I say. Beth looks at me with a tight smile and … [Read more...] about How To Be Tolerant
Self Acceptance
How To Try And Avoid Disappointment
England will play in their first World Cup cricket final today for 27 years and, as something of an obsessive for the game, I’ll be largely avoiding it. It’s always been the same. Whenever a team I have supported is involved in an important game I’ve found it almost impossible to watch … [Read more...] about How To Try And Avoid Disappointment
How To Enjoy Getting Lost
A series of signs have appeared in the nature reserve and their purpose isn’t immediately clear. “How ridiculous,” my sister says as we notice yet another new sign. “Lime Tree Avenue” along a path which is canopied with lime trees. “Who gets lost in here? It’s not even that big” she … [Read more...] about How To Enjoy Getting Lost
Why Freedom Isn’t Free
Taking the bus to Folkestone, Dave Clark and I are on the top deck in the front seats with a big bag of dark red cherries to share. We see if we can spit the stones up and out of the small window, open just a few inches to let in the dusty summer air. I am thirteen years old traveling the … [Read more...] about Why Freedom Isn’t Free
Why “Want” Beats “Should” Almost All The Time.
I haven’t seen my daughter recently. She seems to have been camped out at her boyfriends for the past few days. I don’t know if this is a girl thing but we often used to feel a bit guilty that my son’s girlfriend had pretty much moved in with us and hardly ever saw her own family. Now I know how it … [Read more...] about Why “Want” Beats “Should” Almost All The Time.