I have just finished Breathing Platitudes, the memoir written by one of my favourite people on this planet, Louise (aka Squeeze, who has remained an inspirational presence in my life since helping me move beyond Scotland football strips as a 12 year old village tom-boy).
I read this book in less than 2 days and would have read it in one sitting if I had been able (damn family arrangements). This memoir has been derived from Platitudes, the 100 blogs which Squeeze's husband, Neil wrote as he was dying from Motor Neurone Disease at aged 34 and later made into film, I Am Breathing (to date, shown in 200 countries and recently screened as a Global Health film classic no bloody less).
It was nearly impossible to choose only one part of this book to highlight the brave as fuckness of these two incredible human beings. However, I am opting for Squeeze's comments in response to Neil's blogs just at the very end of his life. He was giving her permission to live her life after his death "I will say here and now that I do not want those close to me, my wife, my son, my family to compromise their lives in any way because of a memory of me" and then with his trademark Yorkshire humour "there, that is enough of that" (in an earlier reference to Squeeze meeting some one else in the future he urged “just make sure he is not an arse”).
Squeeze writes that "thanks to his openness and record of his feelings, he continued to support me long after he was gone and if ever there was an argument for speaking your mind and wearing your heart on your sleeve, then this would be it".
These words, this book, these human beings have inspired me beyond measure to Iive the rest of my life with open-hearted true-selfness and lots of humour! #humanbeingsareamazing #thepowerofotherpeoplesstories #braveasfuck.
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