Do you ever have a moment, a short time, even a day, when you think, maybe life is not so bad after all?

I hope you do. Yesterday, my walking felt stronger, my family was happy and my mum was feeling better. I’m writing to mark it down as a good day.

For most of this year, I’ve dwelt upon my up and down health, the state of the world and the struggles people close to me are going through. It is very difficult to push through that to notice when good things happen.

Thankfully, if you allow it, there are always happy moments to be celebrated and cherished. In fact, when life is particularly dark, the chinks of light sometimes shine even brighter.

I’ve noticed a surprising feeling of gratitude rising up at times that I would have taken for granted before. A couple of days ago, I stood on my aunt’s doorstep and talked with her for a short while. Both of us marked the time shared as special. And said so.

That’s key. If you notice you’re enjoying someone’s company, even for two minutes, two metres apart, tell them. So much of our day is spent listening to bad news, fearing bad things and talking about them. Now, more than ever before, we need to spot and remark upon the good. I suppose that’s why clapping for the NHS became so important during the darkest days.

When life is bad, we have to search for and remark upon the good. Even if it’s just a short, cold doorstep conversation, a tasty takeaway or a long-awaited haircut. These things are good! Let’s push out the wearing conversations about covid and talk about them instead.