May was a month of thresholds.
After years of writing and several months of intensive preparation, ThriveSpan: Walking Gently Into What Matters Now moved from being a manuscript and publishing project into a book ready to meet its readers.
Much of the month was spent preparing for publication. Final adjustments, launch planning, advance copies, website updates, promotional materials, and conversations with early readers all became part of daily life. There is a particular kind of anticipation that comes before publication: a mixture of excitement, uncertainty, relief, and the gradual realisation that a piece of work is about to belong as much to readers as it does to its author.
Alongside these practical preparations, the themes that underpin ThriveSpan continued to appear throughout my Substack writing. Questions of identity, purpose, ageing, change, money, belonging, and the realities of later life remained at the centre of many reflections.
Themes in My May Writing
This month’s writing explored several interconnected themes:
- ageing and identity
- purpose, meaning, and life transitions
- financial decisions in later life
- preparing for publication and creative work
- reflections from nature and everyday life
- culture through film and television
Representative pieces included:
When Purpose Isn’t Quite Meaning
The Cost of Holding It All Together
Why I Chose to Publish ThriveSpan Myself
When Music, Politics and Youth Collided: Reflections After Watching White Riot
King and Conqueror — A Drama That Misses the Truth but Reveals Something Else
The Freedom of Becoming Someone Else
Media
May also brought several media interviews and opportunities connected with the forthcoming publication of ThriveSpan, alongside continuing conversations about ageing, retirement, identity, and later life.
Looking Ahead
As May came to a close, publication was only days away. The manuscript was complete, the launch preparations were largely in place, and the focus began to shift from creating the book to sharing it.
After years of research, reflection, and writing, ThriveSpan was finally ready to enter the world.
