If you think back over the last few encounters you have had, you will have come across people who have had their fair share of hardship. Actually, everyone has.

I’m always writing about things that get fixed or telling you how to get through them. But what if they are still broken and you’re left with a situation you cannot philosophise your way out of?

Every time you think it.

We have three little pots of succulents that have been languishing in our front room for a few years now. My husband finally noticed them, soaked them in water overnight and declared them alive, (even though one of them still looks dubious.)

I was at a park earlier and as I took in the autumn colours, the calming sound of the river, I somehow knew that this was important. Later on I put my driving licence in an envelope with a letter confirming I was no longer able to drive. At that moment, I thought about the…

As the sun reappeared from behind another dark cloud, I was reminded that hard times don’t last forever. I have lost count of the number of people going through darkness at the moment. The world is filled with war, starvation, floods, earthquakes, political corruption, injustice, abuse, exploitation and abandonment of the weakest. Now, more than…

Do things sometimes happen for a welcome reason?

And start something new.

How capable you or your children are when changes come. When I am going over all the things racing round my head, I am always filled with anxiety and trepidation. The questions are ‘will they manage all of this?’ or ‘will I be able to survive?’ It hit me yesterday that I was looking at…

Closer than you think. I have been facing two challenges about home recently. My son is going away to study medicine in Aberdeen next month and we are in the process of moving house. We were in IKEA earlier today getting some of the essentials for him. Thinking about bedding and cutlery does not say…