I wondered if it works like kids, everyone thinks theirs is way better than the rest, so it was nice to hear someone else say it. My friends are awesome.
When I first moved back into London in 2005, I was working as a nanny. I had the kids from 7 - 9 am, and then after I dropped them off at school (and walked the dog) I was free until 4 when I had to pick them up all day. Sounded like time to squeeze in a day shift at a pub to me! So I wandered around with my resume/CV (depends which country you're in) and found a pub willing to work around my silly hours. I made a bit of spare money, had some laughs, and made some amazing friends. A couple of them came to town last week, and it was like nothing had changed. Including the staying out till 3 am, and stumbling home a couple hours before I was due to wake up again thing.
And then there's my old boss. Torence (not his real name, but his real name doesn't sound like a name so I called him Torence instead). Torence's bar was a brilliant place to work. He treated me extremely well, and in return I often found myself working back to back shifts when other people called in sick. When my wallet was stolen, the first place I went was the bar. Torence told me to make all my long distance calls to Canada so I could sort stuff out, and then gave me a 20 pound note out of his pocket to tide me over till I could get some money out of the bank. And when I left to go traveling, I sent the bar weekly postcards. When I went back to visit the following year, some were still hanging in the back room.
Torence and I talked on facebook while I was back in Canada. I told him what'd happened with the ex, and how I didn't know what I'd be doing when I got back. He told me not to worry, that if it came down to it he'd set me up in one of his bars. He's a regional manager, so I guess he's got some sort of magic powers.
In any case, I told him last week I wanted to work in a bar for the holidays. The temp job finishes on Dec 23, and it's unlikely I'll find something else until 2012. I could do with the cash, and, just as importantly, it'll be interesting.
The story I told my friend: Torence and I met up on Friday, first time I'd seen him since 2006. Cool as anything, he was all "oh, I called a manager in one of my bars, and you can go work there if you want. Just call him and tell him when you want to work," like it was no big thing to be saving my financial life. And then, this lovely man I haven't seen in 4 years is all "come up and visit my family on Christmas." Again, like it was no big deal.
The warm fuzzy feeling I've got goes so much deeper than the promise of extra work.
When it comes down to it, I have met some amazing people, and they have my back. People I know well, people I don't know well, people I used to know. This past 6 months (it's been 6 months!) has been trying, and along with rediscovering bits of myself that I'd forgotten, I'm remembering how truly lucky I am to have all these other people in my life.
I'm never alone. Not truly. I have bad days and bad things happen, but when it comes down to it, I'm never alone.
If she falls, he helps her up.
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