Fifty Things
Who doesn’t love a good list?
And since today is my 50th birthday, I thought I’d come up with 50 things I’ve learned along the way.
From the sublime to the ridiculous.
And since today is my 50th birthday, I thought I’d come up with 50 things I’ve learned along the way.
From the sublime to the ridiculous.
- Love is everything
- Marrying my best friend was one of my better life decisions
- Being a dad is a privilege
- Every contact leaves a trace
- Kindness is not weakness
- It is never the critic who counts
- The Spitfire is quite possibly the most beautiful object ever made
- Religion and faith are not the same thing
- Peanut M&Ms are entirely delicious
- For more than 25 years, I worked with heroes
- The West Wing is the finest TV show ever made
- And The Shawshank Redemption is the finest film
- Hope is a good thing
- Enough talk of ‘arriving’. It's always been about the journey
- Never trust a person who walks without a limp
- Kenny Dalglish is the greatest footballer I ever saw play
- Anfield on a European night takes your breath away
- Doing the wrong thing faster won’t get the right thing done
- If all you possess is an armchair and an opinion, it might be better to stay seated and silent
- Dogs ought to be available on prescription
- Bruce Cockburn writes songs of staggering beauty
- ‘I stand here dazzled, with my heart in flames, at this world of wonders’
- The Pembrokeshire coastline is a little piece of heaven
- Silence is collusion
- No man on his deathbed ever said, ‘I wish I’d spent more time in the office’
- There are very few main meals that can’t be improved with a handful of cashew nuts and a lump of stilton
- Leadership is service
- I’m not invincible
- There’s a lot to be said for a good romantic comedy
- Fear is a bad reason not to do a good thing
- I’d like to live in Narnia. Or at least be able to visit from time to time
- There’s a reason why we have two ears and only one mouth
- Never be slow to say sorry
- The Edge’s guitar intro to ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’ still gives me all the feels
- ‘We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.’
- You can’t have rights without also having responsibilities
- Bears are magnificent
- So are Peregrine Falcons. And Otters. And Blue Whales
- The only person you can ever hope to control is yourself
- Always tell the truth (that way, you have less to remember)
- Desert Island Discs is a lovely listen
- Whispers will be heard
- Writing is healing
- We need to make space in life for mystery
- It would be impossible to do the job of a police officer for any length of time and to remain untouched - unaffected - by the things you see and the things you do
- Charlie Mackesy’s paintings stir my soul
- There is beauty in that precious, old-fashioned thing called duty
- Friendship is more valuable than ten thousand precious stones
- I have been blinded by grace: the rumour that I am loved beyond measure, just as I am
- There’s a whole lot more to come