Gum on My Shoe

Every grey hair is a badge. Every wrinkle, a receipt for the life I’ve lived. — Holly Hatam This article was inspired by an Instagram post by best-selling children’s book author and illustrator, animator, and self-confessed daydreamer Holly Hatam. Her post challenges us to think about the lives we’ve lived and are living, from the perspective of our later selves. It’s a gentle challenge. As Holly notes, “[...] this isn’t a list of regrets.” It’s a wish list. A compass for the rest of my life. Because I want to be 80 and say: I lived. Fully. Unapologetically. The post closes with a “before it’s too late” invitation complete with fifteen prompts. “Write or draw the things you don’t want to leave unsaid, undone, or unclaimed and what you’ve been waiting to do, say, or finally make space for.” The prompts align with work I’ve done over the past year or so concerning end of life planning and my thoughts on reaching the age of sixty-four . I knew immediately that I’d take ...

TW: Mention of suicide and self-harm.

There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate. — Linda Grayson This blog post was inspired by a recent conversation with my friend Sophie who offered me the first chocolate from the tube she’d just bought herself. “Would you like a Munchie?” “It’s not quite your last Rolo but thank you!” For anyone too young to recognise the reference, I was thinking of a long-running and much-loved TV advertising campaign from the eighties with the tagline “Do you love anyone enough to give them your last Rolo?” The original animated adverts were followed by live action ads demonstrating the unfortunate consequences of keeping Rolos to yourself. My favourites feature this couple on a train and the elephant’s revenge . I told Sophie how I once bought a tube of Rolos with the sole purpose of sending the last one to a dear friend. I made a little gift box for it and everything. It was a fun exchange and I walked away grateful for the memories as well as the Mun...

TW: Mention of suicide and suicidal thinking.

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 Shhhhhhh! A Friend’s Guide to Secrets Twelve Songs That Remind Me What Caring Is All About It’s Time to Talk. But What If You Don’t Want To? I’m on My Way: Thoughts Inspired by Ed Sheeran’s “Castle on the Hill” One Must Imagine Sisyphus Happy: Encounters With the Absurd Man Supportive Disengagement: How to Be There for Your Friend When They Need Space Thank You Anyway: The Gift of Ingratitude It’s Not Enough / Never Enough You Feel like Someone I Knew a Long Time Ago — Why Are Friendship Breakups So Hard? Our most visited pages were: Contact Us Our books About Us News and Appearances Resources Testimonials   Photo of St Thomas’ Newcastle by Martin Baker.  

To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart. — Phyllis Theroux This blog post was inspired by a recent video call with Fran while I was taking one of my lunchtime walks. As we passed the pub I noticed the postbox by the road was shrouded in black plastic. A printed notice declared it out of use. A little research suggests it’s part of Royal Mail’s “ postboxes of the future ” programme to upgrade the traditional red postboxes to support barcode scanning and handle small packages. Others in the region are being upgraded, including the box outside The Hungry Caterpillar post office in Dipton, Stanley. According to one report , “the news has been met with scepticism and sadness by villagers.” I know how they feel. There’s a post office counter in the general store beside the pub and a postbox at our local supermarket, but I’ve used this one hundreds, if not thousands, of times. Seeing it taped up like that was a shock. It felt and still...