Heard it all? Seen it all? Done it all?

The start of another school year brings me back to the above questions, every year.  Well, I haven't, and you haven't! You must be a life long learner in order to survive in this world, to grow and to flourish.  Every day you should do something that scares you, even if only a little bit.

Seen it all?  Many times in my teaching career, I thought I had. Then something happens, and you realize there are no limits to what can happen in a classroom or a school.  i.e. an eight year old can throw a desk halfway across a room, necessitating an immediate evacuation of the other students out of the classroom.  A parent will bring in his daughter's bike, wanting you to teach the child how to RIDE that bike.  You will accompany a child home in a taxi, because the EA has to have a certified teacher with her.  She alone cannot accompany the child. I could go on and on with too many school tales.

Heard it all?  I recently had a conversation with a child, that even ten years ago, I couldn't have imagined. "Is it your Mom or your Dad coming to pick you up?"  Reply?  " I don't have a Dad. I have two Moms."  Right on I say!  I have taught too many children whose fathers, or mothers died young... in snowmobile accidents, car accidents, to cancer or heart disease.   Families come in all shapes and sizes, and compositions.  Let us embrace and celebrate them all!

Done it all?  This summer was a summer of FIRSTS!  I drove a jeep for the first time! I biked 50 kilometres in one day.  I kayaked on the Baie. I went to Harvest Jazz and Blues and soaked up the incredible street music and atmosphere. I became a grandmother! I lent my home to total strangers.  My son got married for the first time.  It was ALL SO wonderful and SO much fun!

In mid-July I bought a lovely dress for my son's wedding.  I knew as soon as I walked into that ladies clothing boutique, that I would buy my dress THERE!  I don't know why I thought that.  As I paid for my purchase, I found out the owner's name.  It was EXACTLY the same as mine. It was spelled the same way, both the FIRST NAME AND LAST NAME. She was even born in September.  KARMA... and a first.  I have never met anyone with my name.  Ever! Except I did see one in the obituaries this spring. :(

Sometimes though, you can’t learn from your mistakes the FIRST time around. I once AGAIN left my keys in TT ´s truck, when we went canoeing, so that when we arrived at our destination on the beautiful Nepisiguit River, Jiminy Cricket was there waiting, but my keys were UPRIVER. Thankfully, we were in a busy area, so TT was able to hitch a ride back to his truck, while I sat under the bridge in East Bathurst, with the horse flies and the canoe.  Do you think I will forget my keys a THIRD time?  Will I EVER learn?

I try to be ready to learn new things, to hear new things, see new things and do new things, every day.  I am LIVING MY DASH!!!  Are you? 

A DIY I am NOT!!

Or so my Hermanita tells me.  She is right! A DO IT YOUR SELFER, I am NOT! I really am not one to easily figure how things work, nor how they are put together. That pretty much applies to everything mechanical, industrial, electrical... YOU KNOW, the right side of the brain that gives us those skills? I didn't get any.

Which explains what happened to me earlier.   Remember my $900 windfall, from my Nounoune clever mistake. Well, with that windfall, I decided to buy myself a new bike. This is the first time I have had a NEW bike since Maman and Papa wheeled a beautiful, green bike into my bedroom, when I was ten years old.

I very carefully picked a solid, white, Giant made bicycle at our local bike shop, on a grey, rainy morning.  So much for really trying it out, but I relied on referrals, and the expert service provided by the owner.  I wanted a bike whose front wheel I could easily remove, as I wasn't about to buy a bike rack, nor get a hitch put on my car, in order to travel with my bike. THIS frugalista had spent ENOUGH money.

I very carefully watched the store owner remove the front wheel, and the brake gauge.  He did it several times, and I practiced. I even took a video!  So after throwing in a bike helmet and a safety chain onto the bill, I carefully put my new (as YET unnamed, but I am working on that!) bike into Jiminy's small hatchback trunk. The owner wanted to help me, but I wouldn't let him.  He remarked, "You women are very independent." The look on my face prompted him to add, PDQ, "And THAT'S a good thing!"

Well, I got home and put the front wheel back on. Of course, it didn't LOOK right, it didn't FEEL right, and it didn't turn properly.  Several frustrated phone calls later, and having spent fifteen minutes rummaging around Jiminy's trunk in a futile search for a teeny, tiny spring, I gave up.  I found one spring, not two.  Apparently, I had unscrewed the bobbin, or whatever you call it, too much.  No one told me that... to NOT unscrew to the end. 

I couldn't drive my bike, so I had to put it BACK in the car and take it BACK to the bike shop three days later, to have the wheel put BACK on properly.  

Lesson learned? Don't take your front wheel off, unless you are with someone who can help you put it back on, if you are a DITZ like me!  Or... only bike locally, where you can hop on your bike the minute you step out the door. 

What in the name of heaven am I going to do, when I get a pet carrier for the back of my bike, so Vimy can come along? Somehow, I don't think reading the manual, and watching every, single video available on YouTube, will be of ANY help to me.  Poor Vimy, he may end up whizzing by me. :)

PS:  My new bike has been christened ZIP ZIP!  I can't very well use ZOOM ZOOM, now can I? 

Stranger Danger?

I tend to get myself into jams, or pickles (LOL) when I don't have enough to occupy me in body, mind AND spirit. That happens easily, especially when I am not teaching during the summer.  I have more time to get myself into situations that could go either way, meaning, they could go WELL.... or they could go BADLY.

Such was the case, when I had an unexpected encounter with a TOTAL stranger, one beautiful summer evening on the beach this July, while out walking with Hermanita (little sister).  A woman, with two teenagers,  approached us and started asking questions about the area. They were looking for nice beaches, attractions, and places to stay.  They were French, tourists from Montreal, so Hermanita and I obliged by doing such a WONDERFUL job pitching the Chaleur area, the lady, whose name was Annie, told us we had done a better job than the staff at the Tourist Information Centre they had visited.  High praise indeed!

We convinced them that they should stay in the Chaleur area, and not travel further, so Annie then went on to inquire about accommodations. Did we know any good B and Bs or inexpensive hotels?

A light bulb went off in my head, though not IMMEDIATELY.  We didn't know any B and Bs, but then it suddenly dawned on me that M*Y house was EMPTY.  I was staying with my sister overnight at her cottage.  So I told Annie that she, her daughter and her nephew were welcome to stay at my place.  I told them where the key was hidden.  Now,  I admit I had had a glass of wine, but I WAS in possession of ALL my faculties when I made the offer.

I didn't know this woman from a hole in the ground, as we say, but I trusted her instinctively. She works at Ste. Justine Hospital in Montreal.  She was sweet, so I thought, "Why not?" This is an offer my dear father would have made, had he still been with us, and I told Annie that.   She was definitely incredulous, I could tell. She kept asking me if I was sure I wanted to do that.  She offered to pay: I was adamant that I did NOT want any money! NO WAY!

So off they went, calling me when they had settled into my house.  I could tell she was still in a state of TOTAL disbelief.  I told them to enjoy the "little water view" from my balcony.

I had no qualms whatsoever.  I slept well, went shopping and out for lunch with Hermanita the next day, and only returned home late in the afternoon.  Hermanita was the anxious one, wanting me to text her as soon as I got home, to let her know if my place was okay.

HOW did I find my house? It was in PERFECT condition, exactly as I had left it, which included a dirty mirror in the bathroom. You wouldn't even have known three people had slept there. However, there was a nice bottle of wine on the table, and this lovely, lovely note, that brought tears to my eyes. It was probably one of the most beautiful thank you notes I have ever received.  I shall treasure it always.

In giving, we often receive SO MUCH MORE than we give. Such was the case for me.  I had the warm fuzzies for days.  It made me grateful that I could help these good people.  I have a wonderful memory and the knowledge that Annie, Vincent and Jade experienced true Maritime hospitality.   I hope that when they are back in Montreal, they will tell others about their  "TOTALLY WONDERFUL New Brunswick vacation."  Who knows? Maybe we will get a slew of Québecois down here next summer, looking for a free place to stay. LOL  All kidding aside, Annie will no doubt never forget her stay in the Chaleur area.

Please don't tell me what a wonderful person I am. I am not looking for praise. That is NOT the point of my story. I want to hear your stories of sharing, of being kind, of paying it forward.  How did your experience make you feel? I hope it made you feel good, way deep down inside your heart. 💗💗💗