Would we be kinder if it didn’t involve being so conspicuous? Sometimes kind gestures leave us feeling vulnerable and exposed.

I recall buying a return train ticket, as a twenty-year-old student. I only needed a single. The price difference was a measly one pound. At my destination, I approached other travellers, to check where they were going. Could they use a free ticket? This small gesture held a tiny financial cost to me, but a large saving for another. I felt anxious and uncomfortable approaching others. …

Have you ever listened to a podcast and felt uncomfortable with the host's choice of words? This happened to me, and it weighed heavily on my mind until I did something about it.

Sometimes, even the most respected, informed, and enlightened of our heroes get it wrong. Don’t we all? And that's ok, every day brings new opportunities for learning.

Feel Better, Live More

Dr. Rangan Chatterjee is a phenomenal individual. He is an experienced Doctor with two decades of work in his field. He thinks outside the box, he challenges the status quo. He takes what he calls a 360-degree approach to health…

“Just one, you don’t have to have lots, I’m begging you, just one child, for me!” Eight years on and the memory of these words still cause me to prickle. I am angry at the regular harassment I endured from this woman. I am frustrated at my lack of assertion to enforce my boundaries.

Life expectations

I spent over five years in a relationship with her son, who grew up as an only child. To the outside world, we were ready for the almost obligatory next step in life. We already had a house and two beautiful dogs, it seems this woman…

Dog Humour

Both dogs and babies can be gross. But to me, a gross dog is almost endearing, whereas a gross baby is just, gross.

My eyes roll up to the ceiling, as yet another baby gaggles at me from the TV. Why do advertisers use babies, to sell unrelated products? Does this marketing actually work? I scroll through Instagram. Why is it that many of the small businesses I follow are now posting an excessive number of baby images? “What has a baby got to do with an energy drink anyway?” I grump to myself. …

“I don’t want children” saying these words aloud for the first time, feels like I am coming out. You may not think it is a big deal. But when we choose a lifestyle that goes against the flow of society. We risk rejection, ridicule, and abandonment.

Coming out brings risks. The risk our family, friends, and peers will regard us as a monster. It can take a huge amount of internal work to recognize whilst other people may view us as a monster, this is on them. It does not actually mean we are a monster. It does mean people…

“Twins, Marian, Gordon, dinner’s ready.”

No matter how many times we object to people calling us “twins” we are fighting a losing battle. We even try to prove our point by calling our other siblings “single”. It doesn’t work.

This is a repeat assault on my sense of identity and that of my twin sister. Whilst we may well be twins, we are very different, even from a young age. More to the point, we are individual people. People seem to clump twins into one persona.

Calling us “twins” caused more harm than good as we repelled each other to…

How many children are too many? We all have our own views on what makes a perfect family setup and how many children this involves.

For a rising number of people like myself, the right number of children is a big fat zero.

Whilst others may opt for anything from one child upwards. Although large families are a thing of the past, with an average of 1.54 children per woman in the UK.

Family sizes are decreasing with each generation and women are having fewer children. …

It was friendship at first sight. Lisa is warm and funny, with an infectious laugh. Our shared passion for dogs brought us together. Our enjoyment of each other’s company and putting the world to rights has kept us together. Over the years life pulls us in different directions. Whilst I don’t see her as much as I would like, being in her company, makes me feel I’m home.

“Some people just make you feel better when you are around them. They’re sunshine for your soul and medicine for your mind” — Tiny Buddha

Sometimes we connect immediately with other people…