I Never Told Anyone, But…

When I was a teenager, I used to pinch money from my mum’s purse.

Years later, I finally confessed.

“Of course I knew,” she said. “Did you never notice there was only change in that purse? It was a nuisance carrying it all around!”

These days, Mum isn’t quite as sharp as she used to be. She doesn’t notice there’s usually more money in her savings pot when I leave than when I arrived.

I wonder if she’d say she knew that too.

The Little Things We Keep to Ourselves

It got me thinking about all the little things we never tell anyone. Not necessarily big secrets. Just things we’ve done, thought or felt that somehow never made it into conversation.

So I thought it would be fun to ask a group of friends to write down one thing they’d never told anyone. No names, no explanations. Just an anonymous confession.

These were some of the responses:

“I once pretended to be ill to get out of a dinner party. Then I bumped into the hostess in the supermarket. We both pretended we hadn’t seen each other. We’ve never mentioned it since.”

“My husband bought me a necklace for our anniversary 17 years ago. I hated it, but told him I loved it. I still wear it on our anniversary and his birthday. He thinks it’s my favourite.”

“My neighbour makes me homemade chutney every Christmas. It’s absolutely revolting, but I made such a fuss about it the first year that she now gives me three jars. I’ve got nine in the cupboard.”

“A friend gave me the most hideous vase I’d ever seen. I hid it in a cupboard and forgot to get it out when she visited. When she asked where it was, I panicked and said I’d broken it. She bought me another one.”

“I’ve spent 25 years telling my wife I don’t know how to use the lawnmower. I know exactly how it works. I used to mow the lawn at my parents’ house every Sunday.”

“I once sent a text complaining about a friend, straight to the friend I was complaining about. I followed it with ‘Sorry, wrong person.’ She replied, ‘I gathered that.’ We still see each other regularly. Neither of us has ever mentioned it.”

“I once told everyone I’d read a book that I hadn’t even opened. It became the book club’s favourite and they asked me to lead the discussion. I spent the whole evening agreeing with people.”

“I’ve been going to the same hairdresser for 12 years. I don’t particularly like how she cuts my hair, but we’ve become such good friends I can’t bring myself to leave.”

The Moments We Treasure Quietly

But then I started thinking about another sort of thing we never tell anyone – things we treasure quietly – the little moments that quietly make our day. Nothing dramatic. Nothing we’d necessarily mention over dinner. But somehow we remember them.

“Years ago, a complete stranger on a train told me what a lovely coat I was wearing. I’d nearly taken it back to the shop. I still have it, and every time I put it on I remember her.”

“My boss once gave me credit for something I’d written during a big meeting. It probably meant nothing to him, but I walked around feeling about six inches taller for the rest of the day. I’ve never told him.”

“I once overheard my neighbours talking about how lovely my garden always looks. I was ridiculously pleased. I spent the whole afternoon weeding.”

“Someone once told me I had a lovely laugh. I’d always hated my laugh, so it rather took me by surprise. I still think about it sometimes.”

“I was having a particularly rotten day when a little boy in the supermarket told his mum I looked like a princess. I was wearing an old coat and hadn’t washed my hair. I nearly hugged him.”