Tag: Sean O’Connor
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A change is as good as a haircut
Younger sister had to consciously shift her understanding of who her brother was. She flushed, proud of him, as I watched her watching him. He was no longer the smelly older brother, but had transformed into a handsome young man.
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This is the year when I learn to make friends with my money
Budgeting is a beast that remains alone in a faraway cave. I need to coax it out, and make a frank reckoning of where I want to be, financially, in 10 years’ time. This will take unusual courage.
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How a Secret Santa Solved All My Christmas Gift Worries
I think it’s a dark art, matching people with things they didn’t know they didn’t need until you gave it to them.
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Life is the art of making it up as you go along
One thing that people seem to realise is that improv is very good for collaboration and strengthens relationships. Personally, as I face a huge prospect of change, with my children attending school in another country, I use the first law of improvisation: ‘let go.’
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My Old Clothes Aren’t Hand-Me-Downs, They’re Lift-Me-Ups
A change in clothing has accompanied every phase of my life, as it has for my children. Nappies were their welcome-pants to life, but are mercifully no more. Now, I take deliveries of clothing from my sister and others, some which we parted from and which have returned.
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Talking to Your Kids About the Ultimate Taboo
Children are exposed to death, and need support to understand the sudden absence of a loved one, as does everyone. I have come to see that children are more candid and less guarded than their adults, and that there is much to learn from them.
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My ex-Mom-in-Law’s Home-Baked Bread Proves That Love is All You Knead
To break bread with family and friends is a ritual of sustenance and belonging. But to bake your own bread, according to a recipe handed down through the generations, is sweeter still. Now you too can try this life-changing loaf for yourself.
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The Sheer Joy of Watching My Daughter Learn to Fly
I watch, support and learn where I can, having recognised many years ago that despite calling her ‘our girl’ or ‘my daughter’, these children do not belong to me. I am simply privileged to care for them until they fly away one day.
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The Awesome Power of Hitting the Pause Button on Life
Hitting pause, an idea from a child’s game, now becomes an adult’s prerogative. It allows me to reflect on how to keep close the things I hold dear,
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Seven Road-Trip Games That Will Save Your Sanity
Car trips are a drag. “When will we get there?” is not just a kid’s question, but the driver’s too. Stuck on the road, Sean O’Connor has learnt a few handy resources, which he shares in this post.