Grateful: Day 61 - Smiles

I wrote things down today, but now I want to remember them without looking. If I do, I'll be able to be grateful again.

Grateful to have seen Ruth this morning. I was back so late last night, I didn't see her and I'd have hated to go up to Scotland without saying goodbye. A bus within a minute of getting to the stop, perfect, perfect, and a smooth ride to Paddington, picked up tickets, picked up antihistamines for half the price I expected to pay (no difference, it seems - i'm necking them and the itching is still there).

A smile from a station attendant person. Kind of. A beautiful (if a little young) Asian man, lovely dark skin and smiling eyes. We looked at each other and made contact, vaguely acknowledged, a little smirk, and then we'd passed. And then he beamed. What I liked the most was that the biggest smile, all full of glee, was for himself, not for me. Not wanting anything, just expressing. That made me smile too.

A table seat with a plug socket on the train. Result! And a nice lady opposite. Friendly, but not too chatty. My secret fiver. I had a Scottish fiver stuffed inside my laptop sleeve, for emergencies (like wanting a drink to swallow a pill with, but having had no time to pick one up before getting on). In itself, that gave me glee. And there was a mouse on it.

SJ on the train too, but I had work to do so I went back to my seat. Got a taxi with her, though. I'd so have walked on my own, so it was great to have someone else to say 'get in and shush'.

Another delightful Power Train job - me interviewing 8 native speakers in their own languages, with me not being a native speaker at all. Very funny. You never know, though. Some people have a mother tongue they haven't used for years. Not the case here. Also, for my own entertainment, I interviewed someone in Italian, though I don't speak it myself. To be specific, I listened to him speaking Italian - I asked the questions in something else. I'm not that good.

Talented and pleasant people, some of them inspiring, some of them warm, some funny. I enjoyed watching them do their stuff (the bits I saw) and talking to lovely SJ and Claire. Again, a warm welcome from everyone there. I know I'm spoilt, because I'm hardly ever there so when I am, it's great, but I do appreciate it. Missed the Veale. I do like her. She's on holiday, though, so you have to be pleased for that.

Not only a taxi all the way from work to the airport, but Paul, my taxi driver. What a peach. we chatted from the start. He'd had three or four careers, his own insurance business, and 16 years of driving. What hooked me in was his line 'If you want driving any where in Bristol, I'm confident I can give you a route, I'm your man... but if you want a 747 flying, its the man in the peaked cap. Don't look at me.'

He went on to tell me how he does his job so well, how he makes his tips (I had almost no money, but I gave him everything I had). He told me stories of his favourite fares - the day that, instead of waiting, he was invited into a box to watch the rugby, took part in a sweepstake, won, and nevertheless got paid for the full fare AND the waiting time. Not bad.

He was a perfect example of matching and saying yes. He picked up on what people wanted, listened, answered, became a mirror of them so that whoever they were, they'd feel comfortable with him. My second favourite line from him: 'You have to raise or lower yourself to the level of the person in the cab'. And given that he'd just been talking about rugby royalty, his implication was clear, if unintentional. Really made me laugh.

When I got out, I took his firm's number and called them. A tip's all very well, but it wasn't much, and hearing that you're appreciated is surely more. He made my day. As did the man on the plane whose wrist I sniffed. He was just behind me and smelt delicious all the way. As we both stood around waiting to get off, I asked what aftershave he had, but it turned out to be his duty free trial (Chanel Homme pour Mature, it seems). He offered me his wrist. I sniffed.

Afterwards, he found me at the carousel and told me about his dog (triggered by me having a good old go on a tiny black labrador that was being walked in the airport - possibly in training for a life of work). And he wished me well and chatted too, told me he was a Naval officer and suggested I buy said perfume for my boyfriend. I said yes. I left out 'got to meet one first'.. it would have spoiled the flow and changed the tune and I was happy as it was.

Thank you, German Ulrich. You are a pleasing and flowy man. I like you quite a lot. Thank you, Lawrence, for your hospitality, your friendliness, your use of 'good egg' (about Ruth - even better) and for making me laugh.

Thank you for the smiling monkey, still up on my screen and still really really making me smile. Here he is again.

And the moon! I did a little gasp when I saw it. I got the front seat on the airport bus (also a reason for gratitude, AND nobody nicked my suitcase from the shelf downstairs). The moon was wide in the middle of the sky. Waning, sitting fat above buildings, laced with cloud and glowing yellowy-white. You just can't ask for a more pleasing, simple gift: a big, fat moon.