The luckiest lad in the world
So many good signs today.
It didn’t start promisingly. Little one had been requested to join the extra reading club and the 8am timing didn’t sit well with her. After 15 minutes of pleading with her to get up — I gave in and waved breakfast at her till she followed her nose out of bed. I peeled off pjs and wrapped her in clothes as she ate.
Soon, it was time to leave and already too late to walk. The car windscreen was steamed up. I had forgotten that happens. Minutes ticked by as we defogged. Eventually setting off when we could almost, not quite, see the road ahead.
Her scooter unloaded from the boot, she did the last 200 yards on her own wheels. Dropped off, I was free and it was only 8am. I had a coffee and walked around town. It is such a beautiful day.
So let’s backtrack a bit. Reading Club! Little one is the youngest in her year. She started schooling a year later — as they do in Vietnam. She learned two languages in Hanoi and Covid-19 curtailed plenty of that.
Reading Club! Reading Club! Reading Club! No extra charge. No further hassle beyond getting her to school earlier. The chance to catch up in a couple of months on something that might have otherwise blighted a lifetime.
Wow.
Something else! As I packed her bag this morning, I noted a red envelope. Inside was a birthday party invitation from Arthur (via his mum). Her first in England. Lovely. Really really lovely.
Next week I start a new job. Here! In Hexham! No commute. No need for extra babysitters or to further burden wider family with childcare. The job is flexible and about 10 hours short of full time.
I lost my remote, international job and was unemployed….
…for two days.
I can’t believe my luck. The hours, the position, will mean watching the pennies but we can do this. In hindsight, I honestly can’t think of any other job that would have fit.
I’m on a diet. Two years ago I shifted over 20 kilos and then it all got put back on during the stress of a breakup and lockdown. In Vietnam, we lived above a supermarket. I was no more able to say no to my locked-in daughter’s desire for ice cream than I was to my own. For a while back there, well, whatever gets you through the day.
We’re back on track. I’ve lost six kilos.
I have odd recollections of that time. I was on autopilot. There are some memories that I now wonder if they even happened at all. I was disorientated. At times I was suddenly very cold, or hot. Panic attacks? Anxiety? Just too much to deal with. At one point I asked to take a mental health day from work and came back to a written warning.
But we made it. Now, autumn in Hexham. I’m looking forward to Bonfire Night and Christmas. All of Christmas — not just a two-week visit from overseas. I want the full queasy Quality Street selection box experience.
Of course, I can’t begin to equate my luck with what is happening in Vietnam.
All I can do is appreciate it.
