One of my beliefs around sharing your personal story is that it is, as the photograph says, an act of love. Listening with empathy to someone else's story is also an act of love. Why? Because by sharing your authentic story you are not only expressing your humanity and allowing others to stand witness to it, you are creating a safe space for self-healing. Honouring your personal history in … [Read more...] about Telling your story is an act of love
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The story of everyday joy
Many of us reserve joy for special occasions. We leave it in the back of the wardrobe, zipped up in a protective bag, and bring it out only when we have been given an excuse to wear it. Surely joy shouldn’t be something we set aside for births, weddings and parties? Let joy be unconfined! Let it be a frequent occurrence, and let us find it in the most mundane of events and experiences. I’m … [Read more...] about The story of everyday joy
Tell your story, make history
People say you can't change the past: it's history. But history is just a bunch of stories, and stories can be rewritten. Yes, you can change history - and I'm not talking about telling tales. I'm talking about letting go of a bunch of self-limiting inadequacy stories and revealing your authentic narrative in all its glory. The way I see it, our psychology is made up of lots of different parts, … [Read more...] about Tell your story, make history
How I became an April Fool
Yes, it’s April Fools’ Day but this post is no joke. I am marking - rather than celebrating - a defining event. For today is the 40th anniversary of the day - Sunday April 1, 1973 - that my lovely dad had a devastating stroke, when he was only 46 years old. While I am not going tell the story of that event right now, suffice to say it changed the lives of every member of my family. My dad’s … [Read more...] about How I became an April Fool
Rescuing the Purple Princess
I spent the whole of Good Friday 2012 crawling around on my hands and knees, clearing out the loft. This had been a long time coming. When my husband (then boyfriend) moved into my small flat in 2008, some of his belongings and what seemed like half of my life had to be moved into the space above our bedroom. It had stayed there, unloved and ignored, ever since - partly because we had never got … [Read more...] about Rescuing the Purple Princess
Suddenly One Summer
It is the summer of 1976 - one of the hottest I have ever known. I am 19 years old, and personal secretary to a genial grey-haired transport specialist at the Department of the Environment who is counting the days to retirement. I have been doing this job since I left school at 18. It’s comfortable and undemanding, with a reasonable salary. I have no cause to imagine that my career will not … [Read more...] about Suddenly One Summer