We are all pretty familiar with the power of friendship; the joy of empathy and shared interactions, the exchange of experiences with someone who knows us, time spent together for laughter and tears. But what happens when our friends begin to see the world through a different lens than we do?

In this drama of life, we often cast the feeling of envy in the role of villain. “The ulcer in the soul, or the pain we experience at the good fortune of others” is how Aristotle the famous Greek philosopher saw it.

The longest day of the year has already passed us by and when we might find ourselves looking out dreamily at the sunshine (or the rain!) we could be tempted to ask ourselves a few questions about our attitude to the topic of rest and leisure.

Recently at Mass one Sunday morning, I came across a prayer to Our Lady which began with the following words; “Take my hand O Blessed Mother, hold it gently lest I fall.

This is a question we may find ourselves asking frequently. Or indeed, another way of approaching it is - am I an easy person to be around? Because let’s face it, upbeat and optimistic people are easier to be around.

At the beginning of the holidays one summer, after a long year, I stumbled across Anna Karenina. All 800 pages. You may have read or heard about it.

A true friend supports and helps us through the ups and downs in life; someone who is there for us not only when the going gets tough, but also in times of joy. 

I think there are only a small number of people who can embrace conflict and welcome it with open arms. Instead, most of us want to run at the first hint of a conflict. Conflict however is an integral part of everyday relations. It is endemic in every society and like everything else in life has a good and a bad side to it. However, conflict, when used wisely, can provide a huge opportunity for change and development.

What about our own ordinary situation of work, which may be far from the walls of creative and innovative businesses? Is there room for the creative impulse? And even more relevant - is there time in the day to develop and foster it? Or is it just a daydream?

Manners are an integral part of all cultures, and every culture has its set of codes of behaviours that they deem apposite or acceptable. Manners are proper to humans; animals don’t know too much about manners unless they have been trained by a human.

Show up for the kids. Show up for one another. Show up for your friends. Show up because it’s worthwhile - even though you may not see the results of your ‘showing up’ right now. Sooner or later the outcome of all this will reveal itself in a life that is positive, inspiring and that will undoubtedly bear fruit in the lives of the people around you.

What does Easter mean for you? Is it just another of those feasts that turn up on the calendar charting the arrival of spring? Bringing in its wake hosts of golden daffodils fluttering and dancing in the breeze, as the famous poem says? Or does Easter have another deeper meaning in your life’s trajectory?

We are a storytelling nation. Perhaps it comes from the bardic tradition when stories were passed down from generation to generation. Novels tell stories and we all love them, especially those ones that contain the insatiable capacity to remain lodged in our memories long after dry facts have passed over us. Stories impact us because they embody life and tell us truths in an entertaining and unforgettable way.

It seems as though our world is in a constant state of flux. Everything has sped up in a way that forces our brains to deal with an unprecedented rate of change in almost every aspect of our lives; from family dynamics, to personal relationships, to our workplace or even the modus operandi of our work.

Sometime back in the summer I noticed a photograph on the front of a newspaper. It had been a very warm day and the picture showed the Henry Moore marble sculpture in the front Square of Trinity college, Dublin. Reflected in the marble was the figure of a young woman lying out in the sun reading.

We’re now facing those months of winter when all we want to do is curl up in front of a cosy fire with a hot drink and a good book.

“Do you want to be a saint? Do what you have to do and put yourself into what you are doing.” - Saint Josemaría.

How often do we say to ourselves and others “I couldn’t do it because I didn’t have time?” It’s the oldest and dare I say, laziest excuse for not organising our time properly. It’s never true that I don’t have time - I have tons of it.

Maybe some of us are still waiting for summer to come, for those long days of endless sunshine and heat. Why wait? Let’s seize the moment and enjoy our summer right now. Especially as the longest day of the year has recently passed us by. How can we do this?

It’s that time of year again - long lazy days of sunshine, or days spent under a tree in the garden, or lying on a warm beach. And of course, we all want to escape and spend time in another world that is different from the one we inhabit.