Gum on My Shoe

Every gift from a friend is a wish for your happiness. — Richard Bach Even before I opened the package I knew it contained something special. Something chosen for me with care by a friend known for thoughtful gifting. The label confirmed my anticipatory delight. ♡ kindred | mugs made for connection I’ve written previously about my favourite coffee mugs . Surely here was a challenger for the crown. Opening the box I found not a mug but two ceramic beakers. I took them out. They felt good in my hand. I liked the simple two tone design. But surely they were too small? I stood them beside a regular coffee mug on the adjustable table that serves as my desk when I work from home. I was doubtful of Kindred’s assertion that “This joyful little duo is made for your in-between moments — just the right size for a flat white, matcha latte, or a slightly generous espresso.” Their website lists the beakers as 7.5 cm tall with a capacity of 195 ml. A small Americano at my local coff...

I don’t think people understand how important your coffee mug is. It literally is the thing you hold that starts your whole day. — Elyse Salpeter The above quotation is excepted from a recent post on Threads with permission of the author. The full thread is worth checking out, not least for the photos of coffee mugs posted by its readers. As an inveterate coffee drinker, it made me smile, and reminded me of a passage I've seen many times online. You may think that you are completely insignificant in this world. But someone drinks coffee every morning from their favorite cup that you gave them. Someone heard a song on the radio that reminded them of you. Someone read the book you recommended, and plunged headfirst into it. Someone remembered your joke and smiled, returning home from work in the evening. Someone loves themself a little more, because you gave them a compliment. Never think that you have no influence whatsoever. Your trace, which you leave behind with even a...

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why it is called the present. — Attributed to Alice Morse Earle This piece was inspired by a conversation with Fran about when’s the right time to open Christmas presents. I sent Fran’s gifts early this year, and she wanted to open them as soon as they arrived. We had a fun time on our video call that evening, each in our matching Santa hats. It was November 27. The fact that I was okay with this shows how much I’ve grown since we first became friends in 2011. In those early years, it was important to me that we open our gifts together at the same time, ideally on Christmas Eve. I guess I’m attached to the idea of there being a proper time to do things. I buy and wrap gifts in plenty of time — not least because many will be mailed to various locations in the UK and beyond — but the tree and other decorations should go up no earlier than the middle of December. I stock up in advance on festive fayre — mince pi...

I was searching for a blog topic recently and my son Mike suggested writing about my ideal Christmas. It was a good idea and I love this time of year, but I wasn’t sure how to approach it. My ideal Christmas has always been the last one I spent or the next one to come. In the end I decided to explore what I’ve enjoyed about Christmas in the past and how I’m feeling about this one, which is so different because of covid-19. I hope you enjoy sharing the journey with me. Childhood Memories My childhood memories of Christmas come to me as a series of disconnected snapshots or vignettes. Hunting for the presents my parents had hidden away. Finding them in the suitcases stored underneath their bed. Denshi board electronics set and Spirograph. The wooden gifts my father made for me over the years: the castle my son inherited, the music box, and the fishing tackle box I wrote about decades later. Standing outside Liverpool’s registry office on Christmas Eve in a blizzard at my cousi...

We are going through the pandemic together. — Fran Houston In our recent article for Diane Atwood’s award-winning blog Catching Health , Fran and I shared how the coronavirus lockdown is affecting our 3,000 mile friendship. The title we chose — Stay Home, Stay Safe, Stay Connected — highlights our commitment to staying in touch with each other, other friends and loved ones. Fran: Marty and I meet every day on Skype to hang out and process what is going on in the world and relax watching movies together. I talk with other friends on the phone. Martin: Connection is also really important to me. I can’t meet friends in person but I’m keeping in touch with as many as possible. I have friends I talk or chat to every day, coronavirus or not. But since the lockdown I’ve also been reaching out to folk I contact less frequently, or who I’ve not heard from in a while. Fran is doing the same. I’m sure it’s true for most of us. I was thinking about this the other day. It occurred to me th...