My name is Sam and I'm so stoked to be the new columnist for meat. I'm a 6ft 7 length of homosexual dad-bod and anxiety who lives in Wales with my boy. I like dinosaurs, Doctor Who, other things beginning with D, and telling stories. This is the story of my new life in Wales - I really hope you enjoy it."
@talldaddysam
Every month Sam will be sharing his life with us in meat exclusive columns, and frankly, we can't wait to read more.
Boyo & Beyond: Our Man in Wales
A new start
Last year I ran away with my boy from leafy Surrey to … well, leafy Wales (where one of the main differences is the leaves are wetter, and probably up a hill) to start a brand new, shiny life in Cardiff. Always loved Cardiff – originally because of Doctor Who, then just because it’s amazing. This year I'm settling in to my new life and continuing my slouch towards being middle aged come my birthday, and next year I'll be super-successful with joints that don’t ache and absolutely no mental health issues at all, or so the plan goes anyway.
People talk about starting over don’t they? Starting again. Usually in TV shows it’s accompanied by the person pausing in a doorway to say it, with a knowing smile and a nostalgic nod to what they’re leaving behind. I didn’t do that, although fun fact – when we packed up and left Surrey for the final time I did play ‘Julia’s Theme’ from Eastenders on Spotify as we drove away; you know, the bittersweet little plinky-plonky tune they play when Peggy pegs it or Kath goes somewhere? So yeah, new start, new me! But it’s never really that easy is it?
There's all sorts of challenges and head-fucks in the way, both about you and about other people. I'm riddled with enough anxiety to worry the socks off a centipede, and I know it's something that a lot of folks struggle with - so you might have some of the same issues as me. You worry about what you look like, about what you've done with your life and then crucially what you're still going to do with it, about what other people think of you, about what you think of other people ... all kinds of brain rubbish. When I was in my old rut in Surrey, it was easier to ignore all that because I was just plodding along in the same way I'd plodded for years. Now with the new start in Cardiff, it's leaping up and smacking me in the face like a cock at an orgy. Fun times!
But I’m pushing through it all – and actually for me, who historically hasn’t pushed through things and has normally just given up when the going got tough, that is new. Pushing through is new, so maybe that’s the new start right there. And hopefully by writing about some of it and sharing what I'm getting up to, if you're feeling even a smidge of similar things then at least you'll know you're not alone, which is never a bad thing. Together, we can start again.
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