I had just reconciled myself as to why some things could never have been, when all of a sudden, my assumptions were turned on their head. It could be said that my timing was impeccable, but in truth the timing was not of my design. It turned out I was completely wrong about everything. As …

Our daughter says to me: “You’re not posh. You were raised posh, but you’re not posh anymore. You’re as common as muck.” How rude! For the record, I am very posh indeed. I might even say I am awfully posh. Though, of course, our daughter would respond to that: “Yes, you’re awful at being posh.” …

You never know the good that will come out of a bad situation. You may think something is bad, when in fact it’s good for you. In my late teens and early twenties, for example, I was so exceedingly skinny that I would try everything to attempt to build weight. At the time, living with …

There is little worse than being victimised by someone you like or admire. First, there is the moment, which breaks your heart, unseen. Then there is the afterwards, which lives on and festers for years to come. In the afterwards, there is the blame game: either blaming yourself or their friends or relatives, but never …

I’ve had such strange, heavy dreams the past few nights. Where they come from, I do not know. My utter exhaustion? Sleeping in a different bed? Fresh air? A different environment? Unknown. So many characters from years ago injected into my mind, from university and the early years in London, though I wasn’t thinking of …

Staying with my parents, studying family photos, I now wonder if my recollections are sound. Could it be that the photo taken in Tanzania was a particularly extreme example, not completely representative of my youthful form? Could it be that I’m my own worst critic? Well no, not really. All I can say is that …

“You have no idea what it’s like to be different,” rages our eldest. “It’s so embarrassing being the odd one out.” Oh yes I do, I reply. But they’re talking about not having the latest smartphone here, not some kind of physical difference. I know daily humiliation intimately. But they’re still too immature and lacking …

My manager wonders what my secret is. How it is that I both identify the problem and the solution, and then implement it with little fuss. How it is that I move things forward, they wonder, while others can’t even muster the curiosity to move themselves forward. Ah, well, the answer to that is easy. …

I don’t doubt God, but I doubt myself. I doubt my own opinions. I doubt my reaction to events in the world. I doubt whether my faith and deeds will be accepted. Thus do I pray: “O Allah, grant me a faith which pleases You.”

Correction: I don’t think anyone understands me. I’m so frequently misunderstood that I sometimes think I should give up trying to communicate altogether. All too often, what is understood is diametrically opposed to what was intended. I may as well just retreat back into myself and revert to playing dumb. I admit it: the problem …