Author: Stephanie Hills

  • Kindness at Christmas

    In November, Jane* found a child’s wallet containing quite a lot of money. After posting about it on Neighbourly and approaching two local schools, she was unable to find the owner. Inside the wallet was an expired gift card from play arcade Jago Town. Jane contacted Jago Town to see if they could trace the […]

  • Responding to being ‘put in your place’

    Sometimes a person’s comment leaves you feeling uncomfortable, irritated or even angry. If their words sound neutral, it can be hard to explain why their comment was upsetting. Worse, if you react emotionally, you can come across as unreasonable or oversensitive. We tend to focus on the information contained in the words, but the more […]

  • The Myth of Normal

    The Myth of Normal. Illness, health & healing in a toxic culture by Gabor Maté with Daniel Maté It can be daunting to start a hefty book like this one, but the authors’ style is friendly and easy to read. Father and son Gabor and Daniel Maté talk about unwellness in the form of physical […]

  • What’s wrong with me?

    I’ve just been to my Plastic Surgery Addicts Support Group meeting.Quite a lot of new faces there today. * * * * I’m on two simultaneous diets. I wasn’t getting enough food on one. * * * * I used to be indecisive. Now, I’m not sure.

  • Misplaced card

    Vanessa had just got off work and was looking forward to the weekend. She got off the bus at her local Hamilton supermarket to buy herself a treat before heading home. In the supermarket car park, she reached for her bank card but couldn’t find it. After rummaging in her bag for several minutes she […]

  • Things to be grateful for

    How many of these can you tick off? Stephanie Hills ©

  • The Happiness Hypothesis

    The Happiness Hypothesis. Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom by Jonathan Haidt This thoroughly researched book gives a comprehensive overview of happiness, drawing on philosophy, psychology, ancient traditions and modern scientific knowledge, noting where they agree and where they differ. The cover features a person riding an elephant – a recurring metaphor throughout the book. […]

  • Seasonal silliness

    A little boy called Nicholas said to the Santa Claus in the Shopping Centre, ‘You and I have the same name.’ Santa replied, ‘Well, hello Harold!’ * * * * Q:  What’s a reindeer’s favourite singer?      A:  Beyonsleigh * * * * Q: What do you call people who are afraid of Santa Claus?        A: […]

  • Strangely familiar?

    Advertising companies have long profited from a simple, but powerful psychological fact: the more familiar we are with something, the safer it makes us feel. We might think we’re unaffected by repeated exposure to ads, but the reality is that when buying a product, we’re likely to reach for the one with the familiar logo, […]

  • She knows about cars!

    Wife: “There’s trouble with the car. It has water in the carburettor.” Husband: “Water in the carburettor? That’s ridiculous.” Wife: “I tell you, the car has water in the carburettor.” Husband: “You don’t even know what a carburettor is. Where’s the car?” Wife: “In the swimming pool.”