Are you happy?

Seriously ask yourself that question. I don’t mean do you like your job and the car you drive, I mean deep down at the basic level of life, are you really happy? It’s a heavy question, and perhaps one that most of us never really ask ourselves because we are probably too busy or maybe even too afraid?

It struck me the other day that as happy as I am in life, I’m in danger of missing the point. You see I am becoming more and more busy with work, a fact that carries the bonus of more money and therefore more opportunity to fill my life with the things money can buy.

Recently I’ve bought a laptop computer, a cool new flat screen Apple computer, new digital phones for my studio, a new DVD player, and just the other day a new mobile phone. Loads of stuff that a few years ago would have been beyond my financial reach.

The benefits of having a little more money are noticeable and of course enjoyable too. But this afternoon as I sat in a car at Caldy Beach watching the sun set over the Welsh Mountains and the River Dee, it dawned on me that this was the first time in a very long time that I had done this.

I used to watch the sunset across the Irish Sea or the River Dee on a regular basis, sometimes once or twice a week. Back then I lived in Birkenhead, a place not readily blessed with natural charm or beauty. A place that I took every opportunity to escape from in order to bring some form of balance to the chaotic and hectic cruelness that seemed to plague the town I never once called home.

Back then I aspired to make my escape from Park Road South, to get to a…. [Click here to continue reading this article at 'Meanwhile']

Some moments in life you simply never forget. I think I just had one such moment.

I am on a plane from Houston Texas to Frankfurt, Germany. Flying through the night and the various time zones losing hour upon hour.

The flight up until now had been much the same as any other transatlantic crossing, eventless and on the most part just another challenge to try and find the most comfortable position in your seat so as to grab what little amount of sleep you can.

There is, of course, a screaming baby managing to make itself heard above the constant low noise of the jet engines. The in-flight entertainment is amusing some, but most have elected to ignore it. Lufthansa are not my favorite airline, but to be fair to them there really isn’t anything they could do to make this long journey any more interesting.

I’m restless, not able to sleep. I close my eyes and try to drift away, but it simply doesn’t work. I’m not drifting anywhere, I’m awake and I probably will be awake all the way home. The joy of jet lag once again awaits me on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

The plane is dark, the lights are out and there is just the flicker of the overhead TV screens in the center isle to illuminate the cabin. As sleep is not an option I decide to… [Click here to continue reading this article at 'Meanwhile']