Sideswiped

Have you ever been sideswiped; led to believe one thing and then, as you’re looking ahead with the excitement and expectation of a child who on their birthday has just been told “and one final surprise”, something beyond your peripheral vision slams into your side, sending you into an uncontrollable spin? This is my story of being sideswiped. The time someone said, “Hey, what’s that on your shirt?” then, as I looked down, stole my wallet, my job, my hobbies, my carefree sense of fun, my dream of one day driving a car that demonstrated my success and status. They made off with my entire world view.
I share this with you so that you might avoid finding yourself in a similar fix. Always check your blind spots!

My ordeal happened six years ago. I was 26, a great age. I had literally no fears or concerns. My wife, Ruth, and I were living in central London and had a close circle of friends who we saw most evenings. We ate out and frequented the cinema and theatre, hung out in parks at weeke...