No matter how old we are, nothing lifts our self-esteem like the affirmation of a parent

I have rarely felt prouder than when I unexpectedly impressed my father with my hammering skills – when I was 40

Jim O'Brien.

Jim O'Brien

Sometimes I wake at around 4am, when it is too early for the promise of a new day to have established itself and the ghosts of the night swirling inside your head can still put a clamp on your heart.