Archive | Life columns & features 14-15

My partner and I have just come back from driving again — across Italy. For the past five years we’ve been finding our way around exciting countries such as Cuba and Mozambique. Continue Reading →

IN the wake of the death of Robin Williams, I want to go back and revisit depression and the mythology around a condition which will be the second most disabling illness in the world by 2020 behind heart disease. Continue Reading →

Recently, while surfing online, I came across a story that really inspired me. It was about a concept called Voluntary Simplicity, where middle-class people decide to downsize and get off the treadmill, which we all know keeps turning until someone dies or decides to jump off. Continue Reading →

As a mother I’m very blessed. I have a daughter who shares with me all her most intimate secrets: from where she goes at night; what she wears; her taste in music and favourite pubs; and what she really feels. It’s a profound relationship. Except that it happens on Facebook. The blessing is that I’ve been “friended” and, along with thousands other people, can get to know and understand my daughter’s life. Continue Reading →

I’m still reeling from a brutally honest confessional by a woman called Robin Korth in the Huffington Post. At 59 years of age, she began dating again. She fell for a man who loved being with her, and they went away for the weekend. Continue Reading →

I WAS at a social function recently and saw a face in the crowd that was not only familiar, but also filled me with warmth. She saw me, too. We nodded affectionately across the room, hinting that as soon as we had finished our conversations we’d embrace. Continue Reading →

I NEEDED a few plastic knives and forks. As an eco-conscious woman, I would never buy plastic cutlery but I had to offer five sets for dinner out of respect for a family’s religion; too hard to explain.
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“There’s so much junk,” moans a dear friend, packing up her home. “Why do people keep all this rubbish?” I’m helping her do a clutter bust. I’m the worst clutter-buster on the planet given that: (a) I’m a hoarder who can’t see why anyone would want to throw out their 35-year-old teddy bear and (b) I am allergic to dust. Continue Reading →

RECENTLY I went to a funky cafe. I was enjoying the food and company when nature called. On the way back from the bathroom, I ran into two friends sitting at a table. I was overjoyed because I don’t see them often. They are loads of fun and we’ve always had a special bond. But they glared at me as if I were from outer space. Continue Reading →

I ONCE got to know someone who was a philanthropist and humanist. He spent a lot of time overseas helping children in war-torn countries. His focus was on landmines and the kids who were being maimed as they played. He didn’t just give money; he gave his time. Continue Reading →