The launch of Time to Live was a great evening. The support from friends, family, colleagues, random ‘Ealingites’ was superb and yes we actually sold out.  Waterstones will be restocking in Ealing.  Their support has been much appreciated.  

We had the launch in Crispin’s Bar in Ealing run by the wonderful Polka.   It would have been easy for this to be a dour event, something I really did not want.  There were other people in the bar that evening but as we numbered 60+ persons we were a significant gathering. A problem occurred.  The only way to the toilet was through the centre of our group.  One indomitable gentleman launched himself into a moment of silence.  The MC for the evening, Steve, could not resist capitalising on his long ‘walk to wee’.  However, he had the last laugh as when he re-presented himself ready to take his place back at the bar, he said “I’m not dead yet!” and continued through to resounding applause.  He was a gift. No idea who he was, but we laughed.

In fact several people who had simply come in for a drink found themselves caught up in the moment.  At the end three of them came and bought a book.  I was touched.

I will give one more clip.  In it I read from near the beginning of the book.

It begins like this as the recording begins after I have started. 

“So what if…?

• What if dying carried with it a sense of promise and a sense of excitement?
• What if meditating about dying brough a fresh sense of perspective and purpose?
• …..

• What if, in our dying and death, we became our best selves?