Who were you, Kathleen? What were your fondest hopes, your most cherished dreams? How did life treat you? Did it unfold as you wished? I’ve often pondered these questions, especially when looking at the only photograph I possess of my maternal grandmother (NB: it is not the photo above!). It was taken at my parents’ wedding in 1949 – a formal portrait of both sets of grandparents standing … [Read more...] about Who were you, Kathleen? My grandmother story
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This girl’s story will change the world
What did you do on your 16th birthday? I was probably doing glam line dances with my friends to the Sweet's Blockbuster (we are talking 1973 here) and stressing about my impending O-levels - typical teenage stuff. But Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai celebrated her coming of age by giving a powerful and inspiring speech to the United Nations in New York on a day that had been named in her … [Read more...] about This girl’s story will change the world
Telling your story is an act of love
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
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