Like getting into an elevator at the Empire State Building, 80 odd floors, going down.

Only I’m still in free fall.

This is the point where your life starts flashing before your eyes, where you start thinking you could have made better choices.

Ah, the benefit of hindsight eh?  If only we knew what a mess of our lives we were going to make when we were 10.  Things would be different?

Or not?

My youngest grand daughter is 6.  I remember when I was 6.  And I don’t want to remember when I was 6.  All I can say is the worst things that happen to you are caused by other family members. and at that age sometimes parents thing you have too active an imagination.

I know now I didn’t.

Primary school was great, but secondary school was about bullying and toughening up.  My father often said it was ‘a cruel world out there’.  It was.

But, now for the best part, meeting an d marrying the most wonderful girl in the world.

She pulled me out of the abyss the first time around.

We have two boys, they have three girls.

Pity this isn’t a cartoon where I could start slowing down, and then tread air, walk over to the side and start climbing back up.

I look up.  There’s daylight, and hope.

And six smiling faces willing to come back, and get on with that novel I promised I’d write the girls.

And, dammit, there are not going to be any unicorns.  They are so yesterday!