Lessons in leaving the bed.

At present I am unemployed. I have a few private students, which keep Three Paw in the two legs she has become accustomed to, but that is about it. I feel no sorrow, however, about not returning to my old school even if things are very stressful and uncertain for me now. Sometimes you have to jump to save yourself in this life.

It is hard being unemployed though. Not just financially but emotionally as well. At first, I was up at 8.30 every morning with a huge list of tasks to do, emails to send etc. But as the days turn to weeks, I find myself struggling to punctuate my days with meaning.  It is difficult not to let the anxiety take over my life.  And today when I woke up I just didn't want to get up.

This made me feel even worse.

Finally, at midday, I told myself to go for a walk. See the sky and a different view. So I decided to walk to Cigoli. I hadn't done this walk since Three Paw's diagnosis but as I started to stride out I felt better and better. Ideas began flowing and the September sun on my bones felt like just the right tonic.

Walking is free too - so no guilt about spending.

Of course, I accidentally took a wrong turn and ended up walking a far greater distance than I had planned. My poor little thighs were beginning to worry about how they would get home when suddenly this-out-of-service bus came hurtling past. It halted further up the road and pulled up on the footpath. I then saw a man approaching me from the bus. It was Gino,  the bus driver...one of my favourites. He had just finished his shift and was on an hour break. He wondered what I was doing so far from home. I told him 'ho fatto un giro' ( I had gone on a little ramble) but now I was spent. He drove me back to the valley centre and told me if I waited an hour he could take me up to San Miniato for no ticket, of course. It was perfect because I wanted to do some grocery shopping anyway.

And even better he told me he was glad he had seen me because he wanted to call me about arranging lessons for his son.

Suddenly I felt so glad I had got out of bed.

And if that was not enough of a reward I also stopped in a bar to use their toilet and discovered (a) their bathroom smelt like a holiday and (b) when the door closed it groaned like chewabacca.
joy, joy, joy.

Happy to be up