Today is Father’s Day in Ireland and the UK, and although I didn’t plan it this way, maybe it’s no coincidence that I’m launching my blog today. In April 2025 my father passed away. My sister had rung advising me to come back to Ireland as soon as possible. A couple of hours later with…
I’ve shared a lot about change recently and the challenges that it brings, and one of the things I touched on in my last post is enjoying the ride. I think it’s so easy to miss the good stuff under our noses as we focus our attention on an imagined life still out of reach….
When you’re trying to change something, whether that’s a career shift, downsizing, moving to another country, or just navigating a new period in your life, you need things to look forward to along the way. These don’t have to be big things, but if they’re not there, any change, even if it’s what you want,…
I recently found myself caught in a mental loop, revisiting choices I’ve made and where they’ve led me — the kind that leaves you questioning everything. It genuinely felt like a heavy blanket was weighing on my shoulders. As we age, life seems to accelerate, and wasting precious time agonising over the many choices you…
So many people I know have retired early, eight, nine or even ten years before the official state pension age. For some, maybe that’s not something they ever want to do, but for me and a lot of others who do want that option, it seems like a distant dream. And no matter how many…
I was brought up Catholic and though no longer practising, I still recall kneeling in the confession box saying ‘Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned,’ to the shadowy silhouette of a priest behind the screen. We have all felt wronged by someone at various points in our lives, sometimes knowingly, other times less so. …
Over the years I have found myself in situations where I should have spoken up but stayed silent to protect the peace, or at least that’s what I told myself. When I should have left the restaurant because the drunk ‘host’ began shouting at me for some perceived slight, but stayed because I didn’t want…
This summer I was lucky enough to go to two ‘big’ gigs, only a week apart; one a birthday present to myself and both times I went alone. The second gig was a lot bigger, Nick Cave, 25,000+ people packed into a park. I strolled in without really thinking about it; maybe like the last…
I recently attended my first ‘big’ solo gig. Gigs can be pretty expensive, so unless you’re a real fan, forking out £70 or £80 for a ticket isn’t always an option. For me, I didn’t want to pass up the chance to see one of my favourite artists, so bought a ticket knowing I’d likely…
The other evening, at my weekly yoga class, the regular yoga teacher was off so we had a replacement. She introduced herself and the first thing I noticed was that she’d placed her yoga mat at the opposite end of the room to where the regular teacher usually did the class. There was a vague…
Not long after I launched this blog, I froze. Having newly exposed myself to the world, for a couple of weeks after I’d published my first posts, I avoided opening the blog site. I can’t fully explain why, but when I finally gave myself permission to reflect, I realised it was fear. Exposing myself…
