Yesterday was a long day. Today has not started off so well either.. Everyone seems to be in a bad mood, me included! I must have just woken up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

I went out this week and I knew from the moment I got in their car that it was a bad idea. The person I was with was in a bad mood, very standoffish all through evening, argued with others around us, including me. It was meant to be a night of fun, however, I was so happy when the evening was over with, as it was not enjoyable at all. You want to be around people who uplift you not bring you down. I was looking forward to this night and came home feeling deflated.

This morning the bus driver was grumpy and rude, even after I smiled and said, “Good Morning!”, he had words with another passenger, for no reason and she being annoyed with him carried on the verbal disagreement. For what purpose? Why can’t we all try to get along, to just be friendly. Saying “Good Morning, “, “Good Afternoon”, “THANK YOU”, “PLEASE”, are all cheap, they don’t cost a thing! Having manners counts for something in my book, just being generally polite counts for something and doesn’t it make you feel better to be NICE as opposed to GRINCHY?

I think I need to catch my breath, and just try and be for a little while. The very thought that it is Friday and once I get home this afternoon, I am own my own clock for the next little bit, is making me feel better already.

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The pace of life. You don’t always hear it that often, but once in awhile, someone tells you they are changing their pace of life, they are quitting work, to travel, or working from home, or working less, or having a family, or going to enjoy spending time with their family, or simply enjoy small pleasures, like dancing barefoot around their house.

Today, I was up first and showered and while Mr. Michie finished getting ready, I ran out to get us coffee instead of making it this morning. It was still dark outside, the glow from the coffee shop was a warm welcome, the door was open, beckoning you inside and the aroma of coffee beans permeated the air and my nostrils.

One of the Brandenburg Concertos was playing when I walked in. The mood was right, the atmosphere was calming and I should have been sitting there savoring the moment, instead, I was agitated, I could only think about how much time I had left before I had to get to work, tick, tick, tick, what my morning would entail, what I needed to get done, what I can’t plan for, because there are always last minute requests, tick, tick, tick,  in my head I was becoming impatient, I thought, “make the coffee already!”, tick, tick, tick.

Then, I stepped back, I took a deep breath, what pace of life am I trying to keep to? At work, it is for the most part, constant, there is a rare moment to catch your breath, there are high expectations on staff and students, as there should be, but not always enough time to have a minute or two to call your own during the day. I should have been savoring those 15 minutes while I was standing in the coffee shop as my own, but instead I wasn’t.

I need to become better at that, I need to become better at catching my breath during the week, of not thinking so much about work, till I actually get to work, not an easy task, but I am going to work at it. I want to enjoy my own time, as my own, with my own thoughts. I want to change the pace of things.

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