17/05/2026
What an emotional and reflective week this has been.
My book is finally published and slowly being linked across the major platforms — Amazon, Waterstones, iBooks, Google Books and more. It’s a strange feeling seeing your life, your struggles, your lessons and your memories finally becoming something real that others can read and hopefully learn from.
Today, on this quiet Sunday morning, I found myself reflecting deeply on the offshore years and the events that shaped me.
The Chinook helicopter crash from Brent Charlie was one of the first major losses that truly hit me hard as a young man offshore. Back then there were no mobile phones, no internet, just people sitting together in the mess room, playing pool, talking, laughing, sharing advice and life stories. Then suddenly they were gone. A week later another man died on the drill floor. Those moments changed something in me.
The loss connected to Piper Alpha also deeply affected my brother, myself and so many offshore families, especially those within the catering crews and support teams who are often forgotten in the wider stories. Then years later, the man who replaced me died in the Brent Spar helicopter tragedy — and that stayed with me for a long time because very easily, that could have been me.
These experiences, the grief, the uncertainty, the fear and survival, all became part of the deeper awakening that eventually led me toward helping others.
But what I’ve learned through life is this:we do move forward.
We carry the memories.We carry the scars.But we keep going.
This week has reminded me that even through rejection, setbacks, loss, dyslexia, struggles with confidence and all the twists and turns life throws at us — dreams are still possible.
If somebody had told that young offshore worker years ago that one day he would write a book, design oracle cards, help people through coaching and mediumship, speak publicly and share his story with the world, I probably wouldn’t have believed them.
Today I’m heading to Aberdeen to see my grandson Leo, and I’m also giving copies of my book to my son, family and close friends for the very first time. That feels emotional too because no matter how confident we appear, there’s always that human fear of rejection. But this book is honest. It’s real. It’s my story, my lessons and the tools that helped me survive and grow through difficult times.
And maybe that’s the message today:Don’t give up on yourself.
Rest.Reflect.Rewind if needed.Then re-engage with life again.
The future is still being written.
Thank you to everyone supporting me and thank you to Noble Legacy Publishing for helping bring this journey to life. More platform links and announcements will be coming soon as everything gets connected worldwide.
Enjoy your Sunday folks ❤️
– Derek McGillivray“A Happy Medium”
