Changes

My good pal and colleague on Crooked Cat, David Robinson, author of the hysterically funny Flatcap books, amongst others, told me that a near-death experience changes one’s life. He knows this from personal experience.

I just nodded and thought “Well obviously, duuuuuuuuuh!” but I’m here to say that he was right. Having just survived a life-threatening accident (and I mean ONLY just) I begin to realise that my outlook on life is changing daily.

Things and people that seemed important to me before are now dismissed as “trivial”. I recently went into a deep depression, then suddenly came to the conclusion that I was allowing people who don’t matter to dictate my moods. Are they real friends or family? No. Does their opinion of me count? No.

I then thought about all the wonderful people who rang the house, sent messages and supported me while I was in hospital. My lovely publishers organised a whip-round to send me flowers and donated the rest to an otter charity, knowing that it would be close to my heart. Those are people who matter.

On social media we only know the faces that people choose to show us. Until we have our backs to the wall, we don’t know who is a true pal. I’m glad to know that. It’s a valuable lesson. I wish I had learned it earlier, before I allowed “pretend people” to hurt me so badly.