Living for the moment isn't easy, but she did it so well

Living for the moment can be a selfish thing, but not in her case.

A hedonistic lifestyle can be destructive, with the only winner – and there is often no winner in the end – the individual who has decided to put their own enjoyment above all others.

Maybe she managed to redefine the word, living a life for the good of others but appearing to enjoy all of it, whether it be going out litter picking, reading and proofing someone’s (including mine!) attempt at a book, making endless rounds of tea, going to see a production she hadn’t intended to etc. And that’s probably because she found a way to not be annoyed at being aske dto do things you didn’t necessarily want to.

Again, that could be because she had discovered peace with whatever life threw at her, and probably didn’t have to seek an answer, it was just there within her.

Somehow, despite being an extremely busy person, she always had time to stop and smell the roses. Appreciate what was around her. Make an animal, mineral or vegetable – it really didn’t matter – feel better about itself.

She’s not around now and the world is a sadder place for it.

Often, when people die it’s remarked upon that no-one ever had a bad word to say about them. It’s generally not true but in this case it is. Why would they?

The funeral took place and stories of her generosity and thoughtfulness abounded. She rescued a flying ant from drowning in a swimming pool – that story ended badly – and insisted on buying a coffee for someone she hadn’t seen in 30 years because the other person paid the previous time.

She was always buying people drinks and food, doing favours for them, working for free, saying nice things about everybody and if she said anything vaguely catty it was quickly followed by a slap of her own wrist.

An impression was made on everyone she met because she always had time for them., even if she appeared to be in a rush.

I’m unsure if it was her that stopped or time but whatever or whoever stopped her or she stopped for was always made to feel as if they were the most important thing in her life at the time.

Any problems she may have had were put instantly placed further back in the queue as if she was living as a cat in human form, the biggest thing being that immediately in front of her.

Obviously that wasn’t the case, but it was he impression she gave and it came naturally. Just as her eccentricity did. There was nothing forced, it simply expressed itself, whichever “buzzard” or “cove” she was with.

I wish I could be like that, but I’m not and you can’t pretend. It’s too obvious and anyway the mask will slip at some point.

There was no mask.

She was the difference between someone saying something nasty or nice, apologising or not when they have made a mistake – sometimes if if they haven’t. These seemingly small things make a big difference to the world.

Sadly, Michele Vincent is no longer with us, but what she did so naturally is.

We could all, as someone else put it, “be more Michele”.