NewsBite

Reflections

Advertisement

When it comes to grieving an old friend, there is no rule book

Familiar rituals can strike the wrong chord when saying goodbye to a significant other who’s not a spouse, a lover or a family member.

  • Ian Cuthbertson

Latest

We tend to hold the view that certain members of society are with us for life.

‘The shock is startling’: Grieving the death of my GP

They’re not family, but they’re familiar – and it’s those who serve our communities whose loss can cut deeply.

  • Jonathan Seidler

‘I hate to generalise, but ...’ What Uber driving has taught me about humanity

Lawyers always know a “faster” route. Kids hate talking to strangers. Women are scared. And sometimes, talkative 20-somethings just nail it.

  • Wallace Noble

‘Does a spirit level measure happiness?’ The cute things kids ask during woodwork

Building a stick fence and cubby house provides a bunch of children – and one grown man – with lessons in collaboration.

  • Dugald Jellie

Blue beads, a cap, a cup … How everyday objects can generate joy – and heartbreak

Our love for some seemingly ordinary things is about more than materialistic desire.

  • Patti Miller

Grieving my friend, I began crashing the funerals of strangers

A premature death leaves a fellow mother searching for answers in burial rites.

  • Cherie Gilmour
Advertisement

‘Do not contact me again’: The sudden death of a friendship

What happens when a long-standing mate abruptly dumps you?

  • Ian Cuthbertson

I love to cry at weddings. At a family do in India, I had ample opportunity

Attending one couple’s four ceremonies over three days was a riot of colour, movement – and emotion.

  • Sunil Badami

Why this BBC radio show sends me to sleep

The Shipping Forecast provides a soothing soporific for the insomniac.

  • Grace Linden

When it came to DIY, I’d always felt helpless. A broken dishwasher fixed that

Squaring up to the challenge of a busted whitegood taps into a moment of primal satisfaction.

  • Paul Connolly

Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/topic/reflections-1n67