Day Four

OK, I know there was not day three but I am afraid that occasionally a day will slip by without a positive thought.  Any friends out there who want to fill the gaps with their five positive things it would be great.

Day three was a good day.   My lovely husband was back and, once he had a good sleep, really not grouchy at all.   The kids went off to school and we went off to work together.  Work actually turned out OK, though it did require a considerable amount of patience to deal with the task in hand: pealing the plastic covering off the metal protective strip at the bottom of the cabinets.  Still its the kind of job that when you have done it, you can see where you have been, and feel satisfied for that.

We had a nice family evening, with prawn curry not cooked by me, and the kids doing the washing up.  It felt really wonderful to feel so normal in the flat.   The strange thing is how quickly a truly alien culture and city can begin to feel almost mundane.  Yes, you have to deal with the worst traffic in the world and pavements that disappear or require clamp-ons to get up and down.  True, at night, the streets are hardly lit so it is possible to  walk into things you would rather not walk to but, little by little, all this begins to feel less and less  strange.

On the positive front, I also realise that going home to England will feel so special.  I know that things I take for granted, like traffic that keeps to its own lane, and clean pavements, will feel like the most delicious luxuries in the world.

The only possible cloud yesterday was my son having a couple of small problems at school.  Nothing serious but the sort of thing that could lead me to feel stressed and anxious.  Before I did this, I tried to focus on the fact that it is really great that he feels able to share his troubles with me.  I know that many parents wish their children would do so more and being able to help and reassure him makes me feel so content to be there for him.

Yesterday ended with one of those blissful early nights when you know the sleep will feel like being washed completely clean in a beautiful river bathed in sunlight.

And so it was when I woke up this morning.

Another good day at work, though I am looking forward to being able to get stuck in with the things I am really good at,  dealing with customers and organising things.  Still all the cleaning and scrapping do bring a team together in a way which I am sure will bring benefits when the shop opens.

Its now afternoon and I am feeling pleased because the maintenance guys from the flats now have a list of the things that need doing and a small job can be ticked off my list - always a pleasurable thing.

So to finish for today,

Five Positive Things about Mundane Jobs

1. A list with lots crossed off gives such a feeling of satisfaction
2. Monotonous jobs allow the brain to wander to new and exciting places
3. When you finish cleaning something it can make the cleaner feel fresh and new
4. The importance of simple jobs, well done and finished should not be underestimated
5. Never feel ashamed in finding pleasure in a pile of fragrant clean and ironed clothes, a newly painted room or a freshly made bed

Persephone in Cairo