Yesterday, I was the recipient of a cheeky wink. It was lobbed to me as I was disembarking the train at York in a distracted flurry, trying hard not to forget my trail of accoutrements that, over two and a half hours, I had liberally deposited above me (on the rack), beside me (on the … Continue reading Wink
“Two stars and a wish,” she told us brightly. I was at my Monday morning creative writing class and we were to do that ‘thing’ again: turn to the person next to you, take turns to read what you’ve written from the week before, then share your feedback. The instructions were to accentuate the positive (two … Continue reading Harsh Judgements
I’ve just come across an online reference to a conference that took place in Glasgow a few months ago. It was called ‘Everyday Compassion: Supportive responses to dying and bereavement by schools, neighbourhoods and workplaces.’ I didn’t read much more, but I was interested in the fact that there had been such a conference as … Continue reading Everyday Compassion
I used to work with J. She sat adjacent to door of the CEO’s office and, in eight years of working there, he persistently got her name wrong. He would almost get it right, but not quite – Ann instead of Anna, that sort of thing. It wasn’t deliberate, and J. knew it; she’d long … Continue reading Be Nice
Sometimes when we watch unrelenting media coverage of unimaginable brutality, we are left feeling traumatized, and sit back, bewildered, asking ourselves: “what have we become?” Countries that used to lead the way in the concept of ‘service’ now seem to be backpedalling on social progress, bereft of a sense of shared humanity. And if we feel powerless … Continue reading Pay It Forward
The first immigrant to enter the United States through Ellis Island was Annie Moore in 1892. She was from Ireland and she was 15 years old. Imagine it: sailing into the unknown from the rural simplicity, safety, familiarity and poverty of Ireland, and arriving to the sight of that enormous symbol of hope and freedom: the … Continue reading Annie Moore
People watching: the daydreaming it gives birth to is a great pastime, as one comes up with imaginary back-stories for him in the mustard trews with a Harris tweed waistcoat, or the older lady in a belted kimono with chunky amber clipped round her neck. The older I get, though, the more I realise that … Continue reading Invisible Load
The world is going to hell in a handcart – except it’s not. No sooner am I giving up on the state of the world, than I am reminded that generosity, sharing, hospitality abound: all three, alive and well and being demonstrably rolled out before my eyes on a daily basis. Yesterday morning I was … Continue reading It’s A Generous World
My Edinburgh Press 