🎄❤️ In 2024, I thought a lot about my first love

December 24, 2024

Between the ages of about 13 and 15, I loved Oasis. I knew their b-sides. I knew their birthdays. I entered a Daily Mirror competition and, inexplicably, won...

🎄 In 2024, I thought a lot about muscles

December 23, 2024

A flexed bicep, to me, is as symbolic of manliness as a moustache or calloused hands. It represents hard work – a ritualistic tearing of muscle in the name...

🎄 In 2024, I thought a lot about my mum, her Alzheimer’s, and the Gregg’s sausage roll scam

December 22, 2024

Mum was diagnosed a couple of years ago. I’d been worried about her memory for a while and after she’d succumbed to an outrageous banking scam, I’d...

🎄 In 2024, I thought a lot about why I am embarrassed to be human

December 21, 2024

Towards the end of last year, I saw a bloodied, dead baby outside a hospital. A couple of days later, I saw another one, outside a different public building....

🎄☄️ In 2024, I thought a lot about markers in time and space

December 20, 2024

This year Halley’s Comet has been heading back towards us. In 2061, it will be visible from earth again – just as it was in December 1985.Two significant...

🎄 Bag a book (and bag a bag)

December 19, 2024

Festive greetings, friends 👋 🌟 Here is your last-post-before-Christmas warning!🌟 We have a few copies of the I Thought About That A Lot book left, so, if...

🎄 In 2024, I thought a lot about ghosting

December 19, 2024

When I say I’ve thought a lot about ghosting this year, I'm not talking in a romantic or dating capacity. This is not about the fuckboys in your DMs. I mean...

🎄 In 2024, I thought a lot about creativity and self-discovery woo-woo

December 18, 2024

We decided to embark upon ‘The Artist’s Way’, a practical book written by Julia Cameron in 1992. For the uninitiated, The Artist’s Way is a 12-week programme...

🎄 In 2024, I thought a lot about why my dad was like that

December 17, 2024

I’m 66 and I’m no psychiatrist. Before this year, I believed behaviour was largely a matter of choice and that some people simply made bad choices. Then, in...

🎄 In 2024, I thought a lot about caring and my selfish soul

December 16, 2024

To care for my partner, I have to care for the selfish core of myself. I care for it by spending too much money in cafes because I love someone else bringing...

🎄 In 2024, I thought a lot about my top right canine

December 15, 2024

I’ve never really had a good relationship with my teeth. Or rather, I’ve never really had an OK time at the dentist – not since The Incident back in 1971 at...

🎄 In 2024, I thought a lot about friendship in my child-free forties

December 14, 2024

"What time did you get up today?" One of my friends is obsessed with asking this, hoping to hear tales of endless lie-ins and indulgent brunches. He imagines...

🎄 In 2024, I thought a lot about Taylor Swift

December 13, 2024

For a very long time, I considered my taste in music to be ‘cool’. Twenty-one-year-old me (who worked in an indie club, wrote music reviews and listened...

🎄 In 2024, I thought a lot about why we still need feminism

December 12, 2024

I am a feminist. But I didn’t used to be. In fact, at school I did a course on women’s studies and the woman who ran it irritated me because it felt like she...

🎄 In 2024, I thought a lot about my lost football scarf

December 11, 2024

Losing a bundle of red and white woolly fibres may seem trivial, and mourning its loss perhaps childish – but do not mistake a football supporter’s scarf for...

🎄 In 2024, I thought a lot about TikTok tourism

December 10, 2024

The internet has given us a window into the rest of the world, and travel has become more affordable. Of course, there are advantages to travel becoming more...

🎄 In 2024, I thought a lot about my pouch of Douglas

December 9, 2024

The nurse was holding my hand as I opened my eyes. She leant in close. “The operation was a success,” she whispered. “You’ve got endometriosis, but we’ve...

🎄 In 2024, I thought a lot about getting the fuck out of our comfort zones

December 8, 2024

People do not like change. On the surface, it can seem like people’s resistance to making things better is down to their fear of the unknown – they really...

🎄 In 2024, I thought a lot about shutting up

December 7, 2024

I am prone to oversharing. In fact, I have pretty much made a career out of it. I share my thoughts, fears and opinions in person, with social media, via...

🎄 In 2024, I thought a lot about what home feels like for a nomad

December 6, 2024

As someone who has been living nomadically for a few years, I don’t have a traditional home. For me, home has been those places that, upon arrival, just...

🎄 In 2024, I thought a lot about selling parts of myself on Vinted

December 5, 2024

Vinted – the online marketplace for second-hand clothing – is a strange space. Some buyers are an absolute joy. Others think I am both a chat facility and an...

🎄 In 2024, I thought a lot about my dad reincarnated as my son

December 4, 2024

As a Buddhist, I have been familiar with the concept of reincarnation for as long as I can remember. Buddhists believe that when someone dies, they’ll be...

🎄 In 2024, I thought a lot about boys who hate women

December 3, 2024

I'm a senior school teacher, and a few years ago, I really thought we were getting somewhere. I gave assemblies on gender and sexuality, and felt that...

🎄 In 2024, I thought a lot about Gladiators

December 2, 2024

This year, I thought a lot about Gladiators. Or, more accurately, I’ve thought about the feeling I got when I caught a few moments of it while flicking...

🎄 In 2024, I thought a lot about saying bye to a dad I never knew

December 1, 2024

👋🏽 Hello old friends, it is lovely to see you. And to the hundreds of new friends who have subscribed in the last year: welcome 💛 We hope you enjoy this...

🎄 Wednesday = book party (a few tickets left)🥳

November 25, 2024

👋🏼 Hello there, friends. This Wednesday (27 November), we’re celebrating five years of the I Thought About That A Lot advent calendar. We're launching our...

🎄 Pre-order our book! (and celebrate with us)🌟

November 8, 2024

👋🏼 Hello again, friends. We’ve been putting a book together to mark five years of the things you’ve thought a lot about. It’s almost ready, and you can join...

🎄 A book! (and a party to celebrate)

October 30, 2024

👋🏼 Hello friends. Since our last email, we’ve been putting a book together. It includes 21 of the essays that we’ve published on ithoughtaboutthatalot.com...

🎄 Wanted: contributors for ‘In 2024, I thought about that a lot’

May 28, 2024

👋🏼 Hello friends. We’re looking for contributors for this year’s essay advent calendar 'In 2024, I thought about that a lot’. Here’s the brief and notes on...

🎄 Cheers to 2023. Big plans for 2024

December 31, 2023

Hello friends, thanks kindly for your support in 2023. Next year, we’re going to: compile and curate 24 essays on stuff you’ve thought a lot about in 2024....

🎄 In 2023, I thought a lot about whether I’ll ever have sex again

December 24, 2023

It's been 4 years, 3 months and 11 days since I did some squat thrusts in the cucumber patch. Since I bumped uglies. You know? Engaged in a bit of bedroom...

🎄 In 2023, I thought a lot about the parts of myself I’ve ignored

December 23, 2023

To my treasured daughters. I want to talk about the importance of asking yourself difficult questions and being brave. Society doesn’t always promote these...

🎄 In 2023, I thought a lot about grief

December 22, 2023

My Mum, Joan, died suddenly alone at home on Sunday 27 November 2022 watching TV, cup of tea in hand.She was discovered by my sister and her husband the...

🎄 In 2023, I thought a lot about kindness

December 21, 2023

Last year, I was standing at a bus stop in the rain without an umbrella. I’d not predicted, when I left home in a rush, that it was going to rain. My bus was...

🎄 In 2023, I thought a lot about if the childless owe less to the planet

December 20, 2023

When did I give up caring about the planet?Until 2023 I was always the person who cared. I was the person who would struggle home juggling her shopping in...

🎄 In 2023, I thought a lot about dress codes

December 19, 2023

It all started when I saw a tweet (that I can no longer find) that said something along the lines of ‘I just received a wedding invite where the dress code...

🎄 In 2023, I thought a lot about early menopause

December 18, 2023

I’m always early for things. I was once so early for a job interview that the time between my arrival and the interview starting was longer than the...

🎄 In 2023, I thought a lot about charity shops

December 17, 2023

I have to confess that I'm addicted to charity shops, and the thrill of finding a unique, wearable wonder at a bargain price is the driving force behind this...

🎄 In 2023, I thought a lot about my Nokia 6680

December 16, 2023

You’re not supposed to have this stuff lying around. It’s digital waste, unnecessary clutter, some sort of data protection risk. But I’m not ashamed to tell...

🎄 In 2023, I thought a lot about naked men

December 15, 2023

The relationship with my own nudity is not one I intended to explore this year, or probably ever. And I would’ve gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for...

🎄 In 2023, I thought a lot about having a business and a baby

December 14, 2023

Business and baby.Two words we so rarely hear together I hardly dare utter them in the same breath. But as a business owner and a mother I have been...

🎄 In 2023, I thought a lot about eggs

December 13, 2023

Soft boiled and dippy.Sunny side up.Scrambled. Buttery, salty, and creamy.Oocyte. Egg cell. Ovum. My own eggs inside of me. 2023 was the year I froze them....

🎄 In 2023, I thought a lot about being a rockstar

December 12, 2023

I started playing guitar when I was a little boy. Our family always had one propped up in the corner of the living room and although she never played it for...

🎄 In 2023, I thought a lot about an old friend

December 11, 2023

It’s strange how people come and go from your life. Just think how many you have known. Some for a long time, some a short while. Some you form a deep...

🎄 In 2023, I thought a lot about loneliness

December 10, 2023

My sister is worried about me. I know that because she just sent me a text. “Just ringing to check in as I’m worrying about you.” I missed her call.I haven't...

🎄 In 2023, I thought a lot about my wicked stepmother

December 9, 2023

In April this year, I saw you.I was sitting outside a coffee shop, and as I glanced up from my laptop, there you were. I don’t know if you saw me, but if you...

🎄 In 2023, I thought a lot about Lego Star Wars

December 8, 2023

In 2023, my mind has been consumed by the Lego Star Wars universe. I suspect you’re itching to read about a more meaningful captivation but here we are: my...

🎄 In 2023, I thought a lot about the friend who’s sad I’m single

December 7, 2023

Hello love,How are you getting on? How are the kids? I know it must be a bit overwhelming now that you’ve got two and I hope you know you can always come to...

🎄 In 2023, I thought a lot about my inner child

December 6, 2023

It’s sad that we stop playing when we grow up. We leave school and get jobs and then work forever. We must be serious and professional to ‘make it’. And the...

🎄 In 2023, I thought a lot about my Abaji, the greatest storyteller and listener

December 5, 2023

My grandfather was the greatest storyteller. We think it’s because he crafted a big, extraordinary life for himself, weaving his painful and difficult...