Gum on My Shoe

“Camus.” It wasn’t a question. I turned from the bar to find a man standing beside me. He nodded at the quotation emblazoned across my t-shirt. “The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.” The pub was almost empty. Mid-morning on a rainy Monday. More than a little damp my tweed jacket was draped over the back of my chair at a table in the middle of the room. I placed my order, a half of Swift Best (3.4% ABV) named for MV Swift , largest of the boats that plies the tourist routes on Windermere. We introduced ourselves. It was immediately clear John knew a lot more than I do about Camus in particular and philosophy in general. A long-time interest on his part I think, whereas I only encountered Camus a couple of years ago. I was unaware of the philosopher’s lifelong interest in football , for example. Fortunately, I knew enough of his theories and writings to hold my own in what developed into a lively and e...

TW: Mention of suicidality and self-harm

Fran and I find analogies helpful when discussing mental and physical health. This is especially true when one person has little or no experience of what the other is attempting to convey. In this post I want to share a few models and analogies we find useful, and introduce a new one we’ve only recently taken up. I’ve described a few of these previously in The Stress Bucket and Other Models That Help Me Talk about Mental Health . Spoon Theory Perhaps the most well-known analogy for chronic illness is the spoon theory created by Christine Miserandino. The idea is that people living with energy-limiting conditions such as MS (multiple sclerosis) and fibromyalgia begin each day with a limited number of energy units, represented by spoons. If you’ve ever come across the terms spoons or spoonies online in a health context, that’s what they’re talking about. Waves Although Fran and I reference spoon theory on occasion, we’re more likely to employ our home-grown models. I’ve al...

Our blog focuses on mental health and supportive friendships. Now and again, however, Fran and I give ourselves permission to explore other topics. This is one of those occasions. As regular readers will know, writing has always been an important part of my life. I’ve kept a daily diary for over fifty years . During that time I’ve written poetry, articles, short stories, a novella, two books, and a great many blog posts. I’ve not written creative fiction for a number of years, but in We Are All Made of Stories I described some of my past adventures in that genre. I’ve shared two short stories here in the past. Written in 1999, Home Eleven is an urban fantasy based loosely on events and experiences at Newcastle’s Green Festival. Dating from 2001, The Hundred Stories touches on a project I was working on at that time that interwove JRR Tolkien’s life and work with British history and folklore. The story references accounts of the brothers of Lindisfarne (Holy Island) who carried...

Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow. — Mark Twain Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone. — Pablo Picasso It would be witty of me to say this is a post I’ve been meaning to write for ages but kept putting off. Witty, but incorrect. The idea to write about procrastination only came to me a few days ago and I’m taking the first opportunity I have to make a start on it. My tendency to procrastinate — to put things off, often until they have become critical — is something I’ve lived with most of my adult life. It doesn’t apply to everything. I deal with many things as they occur. I work in a live support role, and need to respond to events and issues promptly and effectively. In the workplace I’ve developed strategies and solutions to improve my personal effectiveness and that of the team I’m part of. I take pride in our ability to respond as efficiently and effectively as possible. In my personal life, I stay on to...

Check out our top posts for the past month. Posts are listed by the number of page views they attracted during the month, most popular first. The Box on the Shelf: A Strategy for Handling Difficult Issues and Situations How Sad the Song: An Atheist Ponders His Mortality Shhhhhhh! A Friend’s Guide to Secrets Thank You Anyway: The Gift of Ingratitude Twelve Songs That Remind Me What Caring Is All About It’s Time to Talk. But What If You Don’t Want To? One Must Imagine Sisyphus Happy: Encounters With the Absurd Man It’s Not Enough / Never Enough Don’t Be a Jerk: How to Respond Responsibly on Social Media *michigan*, by Mickey Solis Our most visited pages were: Contact Us Resources News and Appearances Testimonials Our books About Us   Photo of Kirkharle Courtyard by Martin Baker.