It’s Easter egg hunting time, so let me remind you that over many centuries and in many cultures the egg represents new life, rebirth and Spring. Somewhere along the way this symbol of promise has become a little tainted, at least for me.

The Easter eggs of my early years had substance. They were stuffed with a sweet filling, stuff you could bite into, stuff you could chomp on.

It was during my sensitive teen years that I discovered the trick Easter egg. All shell and no substance. I love chocolate, which is why I was seduced by the shell. But the shock of it! Biting into thin air!

So began my decline into a cynical adulthood. Thanks to those empty symbols of fake fertility, I am perpetually suspicious of anything too nicely wrapped.

To this day I remain on guard against the latest sugar-coated ball of air, the not quite empty promise.

Welcome to my side of the nonsense divide.