I already have so many failings, and yet, dear reader, it seems that I must add another.  I am a fraud.  It all started when I went on a course last week.  I didn’t arrive with the deliberate intention to deceive and yet, by the end of the week, I seemed to have accidentally created a wholly different persona.  The persona of someone who is much nicer.

All my friends, those who love me most and know me best, know that I am acerbic (which really just a polite way of saying ‘critical’) and challenging (‘opinionated’).  And yet, over the course of three days, I managed to convince six strangers that I am a caring and considerate human being.

I blame the tutor.  From the outset she had a warmth and openness that was beguiling.  I loved her eclectic sense of style, big hair, and up-tempo vibe.  I was like a moth to her flame.  And then there were the other people on the course.  Women with stories to tell, women with guts and determination, women who listened – properly listened – to what others were saying.  (There was due to be a man on the course, but he was a ‘no show’).

Everyone was so kind, so supportive, that it made me want to be, well, kind and supportive.  And so it happened.  I started listening to what people were saying.  And the more I listened, the more respect I had for them, these women of different ages and different backgrounds.  I saw how special they were (are!).  And I wanted them to feel as nurtured and supported as I did.  And there it was.  Just like that I had accidentally become a nicer person.

I’m not saying it will last – I still need to keep my husband on his toes – but maybe I will keep just a little bit of my new persona.  It’s a shame to spend all that money on a course and only have learnt about journalism, when what you could have done is learnt about yourself.

I went on the lifestyle journalism course run by the London School of Journalism, and would like to thank Lorna V (the tutor) and everyone on the course for all it has given me. #GroupHug