I’ve made two people cry today already, and had a mini weep myself, in front of a roomful of people. Result! For a non-pond day, it’s been pretty good.
Train to Bristol caught in obscenely good time. I got to the station more than half an hour early. This is getting silly. Still, that allowed me a tasty coffee at Eat, all upstairs at Paddington. I like it there. I feel lofty. There’s pigeon danger, but I’ve learnt my lesson. I keep my face generally downturned.
I got a table on a packed train, with reservation stickers everywhere. I just sat down and typed. Nobody bothered me. It was ace. I had two separate neighbours, both stony-faced and incommunicative. Perfect. I’m easily distracted and I had work to do.
I love going into the Power Train office. I walk in and a whole ream of lovely people greet me like an old friend. Is every office so warm? Right from the start of working with them, years ago, there has been a family feel to the place. I’m not there often, but it’s a treat when I am.
Today, another candy job. I get to do a presentation on anything I like – just a short one – to a select smattering of the aforementioned lovelies. I have to confess, I was a bit nervous. Simply because it was kind of a test – for them to see me in action, presenting stuff. I had a good idea of what I wanted to say, a structure and some images, but not a script. And there’s always more you can do, isn’t there, to prepare.
I talked about this, this blog, this big, curious experiment and what I’m getting from it. I think it went quite well, and I had a fantastic time. I really enjoyed myself. I liked the questions that people asked and I loved the things they said they were grateful for, each one so different and so genuine, from families and felt to steak and teamwork. I liked how listeny they were, and how willing to jump in.
They’re still looking for language speakers, especially trainers (or actors) who can speak fluent Italian or Spanish as well as English. So, eavesdropping on the train, I picked up one email address – a teacher of French and German, speaker of all, who may not be able to do it himself, but knows a heap of people who could. I gave out details to another lady too, a fractious, worrying thing, she was, well-meaning too.
I lost my ticket. It is still lost. I must have used it to get through the barriers at Bristol. I avoided showing it on the train by continuing my work and ignoring the ticket man. And then I looked for it, to find out my connection. Nowhere to be seen. Oh dear. By the time I post this, I’ll know the outcome of this game – it may be that I no longer need it. Perhaps I’m blessed with luck, and it will not be shown.
I told a lady on the train I’d lost it, for no good reason. She gave me this petal of glee – that she was freelance in the motorbike business – PR – and she loves a bike. She’s freelance. Well, she and her husband have a company, and a child. They have this thing they say: ‘we’re not the richest, maybe, but we think perhaps the happiest.’ And the look she gave when she said that.. almost embarrassed – how did we get so lucky?
She asked what I did and when she heard – copywriting, translation, training, acting, massage – she offered me her card. She’d have work in that, she thought. Copywriting at least. And they’re desperate for Italian speakers, of whom I know a bunch. Together, we can weave something out of this. How lucky am I?
Very lucky. There were barriers at Northampton. I couldn’t just slip through. So I strode up to the man and said ‘I’ve lost my ticket, but I can prove to you I bought it, will that do?’. And yes, it seems, it would. He looked at my emailed receipt and said ‘That’s okay. Well, not officially, of course, but go on through.’
And then, when my phone cut out in the middle of a call, the man in WH Smith let me plug my phone into a socket in his shop so I could carry on.
I’m on my way to a workshop now, willingly walking towards something I have no doubt will make me terribly uncomfortable, possibly a little bit sick. And it’s going to cost. I’m up for it. I am excited. Bring. It. On.
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