A friend of mine has just left his wife and kids after 30 years of marriage. No clues given beforehand, no hints at discontentment – according to the soon-to-be ex-wife – just “I’ve got an important announcement …” and two hours later he’d packed his things and was gone.

BOOM

Seems he’s been doing the right thing, the responsible adult thing, the self-abrogation thing since about the age of 18 months, and needed to cut loose. And being so desperate, and so profoundly inexperienced at ‘cutting loose’, he met another woman, fell in love, and cut loose BIG time. As though with one enormous act he tried to compensate for all those years of never cutting loose.

Of course, old habits of being responsible don’t just evaporate overnight. So he’s replaced feeling responsible with feeling guilty. MEGA-guilty. Life-lamingly guilty.

But where are the clowns?Quick, send in the clowns.Don’t bother, they’re here.