Here I am, sitting at the kitchen table in a faded T-shirt and shorts. I am eating porridge (made with oat juice which I find is not as sticky as real milk), chopped fruit and a squirt of honey followed by the first of two daily cups of coffee.

I’m looking out the window at the rising sun, listening to the bird song which gently hints that we are heading towards spring and summer. Taking each day as it comes now. Somebody exclaimed to me last week that next year I will be 50. “Shurrup!”

Where I should have been saving money, I was buying a new car. I was wishing my life away

Over half a lifetime ago, I was always waiting for tomorrow, rushing through each minute of the day to tomorrow, never living in the moment. Working full time from the age of 19, I was a young man in an awful hurry. Where was I going? No idea. When I should have been wearing the faded T-shirt and jeans, I was wearing a suit, trying to be important instead of waiting for importance to invite me.

Where I should have been on the bus, I was in the taxi. Where I should have been saving money, I was buying a new car. I was wishing my life away.

If I could give a bit of advice to my 20-year-old self, it would be to slow the heck down

I ponder over porridge, what was it all about? What did it achieve? If there is anything to be taken from the past 24 months of disruption, it is that if we don’t slow down, nature will leave us with no choice. The lesson of the past two years is how fragile we are. It may serve to refocus our minds on the fragility of a planet that is burning up too.

If I could give a bit of advice to my 20-year-old self, it would be to slow the heck down. Life is for living.

I should have sat still more often

Where I have gotten to now, I could have walked to instead of ran to. During a week of self-isolation last week due to a positive COVID-19 test (it’s no longer a big story to test positive), I found myself pleasantly content because I had to virtually sit still for once. No deadlines. I should have sat still more often. I had no choice but to step off the merry-go-round.

Dear 20-year-old Damien (and all 20-year olds),

What is your rush? Get up early. Go for a walk. Eat a good breakfast. If you don’t want to listen to the news, don’t feel you have to. There is nothing wrong with missing out. Clean up after yourself and be tidy, you will be energised from it.

Worry not about what others think about you. Wear what makes you feel comfortable. Drink plenty of water. Cook your own dinner when you can and make it enjoyable.

Check in with those important to you and then leave the phone aside. If you are needed, you’ll be reached. Treat yourself to an ice cream, chocolate bar or a beer if it makes you feel good.

Listen to a podcast or watch a good documentary or read a book. Don’t procrastinate. Go to bed when you feel tired. And always remain calm in the face of panic. There is always a solution.

Regards, wiser Damien.

With time comes wisdom. The self-isolation stint also allowed me time to clean out an old room full of junk which I had put on the long finger for years. I found a picture of myself when I was in a hurry back in the day. I smiled: “You poor eejit.”

It is bad enough for British citizens who wanted to stay in the EU. But to be out of the EU and have Boris Johnson as prime minister must be utterly depressing.