One after the other, thoughts come banging in – and it’s no sleep for you tonight, dearie.
What keeps you awake at night?
Question
When were you happiest?
Time & hindsight
Question
How close have you come to death?
Death & what remains
Question
What song would you like played at your funeral?
Death & what remains
Question
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Craft & work
Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
A long-running fixed question in The Guardian's weekly Q&A questionnaire.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
That to-do list I am supposed to get through but can’t summon the energy for in these weird, distracted times.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 13 February 2021 source ↗
Others on this question
View all 196 →
Jenna Coleman
English actress
Until I got curtains recently, it was the orange street light.
People singing in the street.
Adjoa Andoh
English actress
Everything: I worry about whether the window frames need replacing, did I answer that email, how long my face is going to hold up, world peace, poverty…
More from Fatima Bhutto
View profile →Today, waking up in the dark hours of the morning with a litter of puppies snoozing on my bed.
I don’t know. I prefer it that way.
We don’t play songs at funerals where I’m from, but if they had to – Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean.
Chekhov said, any idiot can weather a crisis, it’s the day-to-day living that wears you out. I think the same is true for great achievements. It’s not a big thing, but one ought to feel proud about the small moments in which you might have helped, cared for, or done something good for others.
More on daily life
- What single thing would improve the quality of your life? 206 answers
- What is an unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love? 30 answers
- In the last five years, what have you become better at saying no to? 22 answers
- When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do? 22 answers
- In the last five years, what new belief, behaviour, or habit has most improved your life? 20 answers
- What does the first sixty minutes of your day look like? 16 answers
Also answered this
Jack Whitehall, Ian McEwan, Tony Judt, Lionel Shriver, Kate Mosse, Ethan Hawke
Search the directory for somebody in particular.
Explore further
- All daily life questions
- The The Q&A questionnaire — 25 questions from the same format
- Explore the archive — by field, age, era, and subject