Hubris Miasma

To all absentee parents out there.. How do you do it? How do you manage to swan off and live your selfish dreams without compunction? How do you live in material and emotional comfort knowing you have abandoned a past life? How does your conscience rest easy knowing you took care of yourself without lookingContinue reading “Hubris Miasma”

Changing Places

Over the last few years, there has been a lot of activity in our household in terms of who has been moving in and out. My sons are now all young adults and university has been the preoccupation for them in recent years. I’ve got four sons who are all at different phases of theContinue reading “Changing Places”

Keeping Promises

If there’s anything which I find unattractive in a person, is when they make a promise which they have no real intention of honouring or have not thought through carefully before opening their mouth. One of my mottos in life is to never make a promise I know is very unlikely to be fulfilled. IContinue reading “Keeping Promises”

Consistency or Adventure?

Some would argue that a predictable life is something to covet as it offers security in that plans can be made well ahead of time. Every stage of life is clearly and neatly mapped out. Part of that predictability is the foresight to include contigency plans for times when things may not go exactly theContinue reading “Consistency or Adventure?”

My Mother’s Footsteps

Looking at my elderly, octagenarian mother whose health has seemingly taken a downward turn in recent months, I reflect on many things and many years gone by. Firstly, I think of the sacrifices she made to come to this country as a fresh-faced, naive yet optimistic young married woman, looking to start out a lifeContinue reading “My Mother’s Footsteps”

Addendum to a Post-Divorce Life

Many years ago, a younger me would never let another person to have had the last say in a dispute, especially when I felt I was unjustly dealt with. I would have dug my heels in and made sure they retreated only after I had been given the chance to explain the details of myContinue reading “Addendum to a Post-Divorce Life”

Where Next?

I don’t own my own house. For that reason, I have no real incentive to invest too heavily in it. I am particular about keeping it presentable, clean and tidy but my interest in doing anything more than that is minimal. At this stage of my life too, I no longer derive any real pleasureContinue reading “Where Next?”

A Look Back at My Blog

This is going to be one of those ‘thinking out loud’ moments. Privately, I have often gone back and randomly selected one of my own blog posts from the past to assess how true I have been to myself and to see what progress, if any, I have made since then. Have my opinions shifted?Continue reading “A Look Back at My Blog”

Celebrating Life

Yesterday was my birthday. Unlike many people, especially the young generation, who would like to mark the day with parties and presents, I chose to keep it much more subdued. Instead, my sons and I had a day out in central London walking through different parks and then enjoyed a lovely Lebanese meal in oneContinue reading “Celebrating Life”

A Year Off

Wouldn’t that be something? To have the luxury of signing out of reality and swan off into the sunset and just do me! Unfortunately, not many of us can afford to live in reverie except in our dreams and so the monotony of routine has to be maintained… As much as I wouldn’t want toContinue reading “A Year Off”