Have you ever found yourself sitting alone, wondering how others - especially those who live by themselves - are really doing? I think many of us have had that thought, especially after the long, quiet months of the Covid-19 lockdowns.

I found myself there one lovely spring morning, alone in my garden. I couldn’t help but reflect on how others, perhaps like you, were coping. Were they feeling the same loneliness, isolation, or even fear that sometimes crept up on me?

In that quiet moment, a comforting realization came to mind: it’s our thoughts that truly shape how we experience life, a message central to Chapter Two of my book.

I’ve had my share of moments when my thoughts took me back - back to childhood memories of endless summer days, running through sunlit fields with friends, feeling free and alive. Have you had those moments too? Have you thought of those happy days, and wondered, "Where did the time go?" Sometimes it can feel bittersweet, especially when we know we can’t relive them. Yet, even when a little voice whispers, “Those days are over,” I remind myself that the joy of those memories still lives inside me, just as it lives in you.

Do you wonder, as I do, about the people we’ve lost touch with - the friends we grew up with, the ones we promised we’d never lose? Where are they now? Are they happy? Could we find our way back to them, or do we only have the memories to hold on to? As I looked through old photos that day, I found myself transported back to the moments of laughter and connection, and it struck me that I didn’t need to find those friends to reconnect with the joy. The memories themselves were enough to fill my heart.

Isn’t it funny how our minds work like that? How a memory, no matter how old, can still bring us warmth when we need it most? And even in our quietest, loneliest times, those memories remind us that we’re never truly alone.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “Life’s tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late.” But here’s something I’ve learned: wisdom comes when we choose to embrace our journey, wherever we are, however we feel, and whoever we may have lost touch with along the way. And that wisdom, those memories, are always within reach if we let our thoughts guide us.

So, when you find yourself in a quiet moment, feeling alone or missing someone from the past, remember - "it’s your thoughts that count". Your memories can be a source of comfort and strength, just as they’ve been for me. If you’re looking for more ways to transform your thoughts and embrace your own story, I invite you to explore these ideas further in my book.

Together, we can celebrate the moments we’ve lived, the people we’ve known, and the stories that still live inside us.