‘There is so much to be thankful for. I know. I do. One look at my beautiful family, our little home or our friends can tell me that. But it’s so hard to see it in the dark.’
In 2006 Hannah Oakland was a drama student living in Central London – with complimentary theatre tickets, a head full of world-conquering dreams and a kitchen that definitely didn’t meet Health and Safety standards. Ten years later, the only constant is the state of her kitchen. Today, Hannah is a wife, a mother-of-two, and reliant on anti-depressants to make it through the week.
The Honest Mums’ Club is the story of her journey towards acceptance. An honest song for those whose dreams didn’t pan out the way they planned. A whisper in the night for the sleep-deprived parents. A rumour of hope for the mentally unstable. Indeed, there is no happy ending. No neat, tidy recovery. Not yet. It’s a two-steps-forward, one-step-back affair. But those two-steps are towards beauty, second chances and hope. It’s a tale of learning to live a life more ordinary. Learning to be gentle – with oneself and with family. The the story of Hannah’s slow and grudging acceptance that there are no rules with depression or parenthood, no regulation and no guarantees. But that somehow, in the midst of it all, life goes on.Hannah Oakland blogs at www.walkingwiththemoon.com. The Honest Mums’ Club is her first book.