It had to happen I know, the time when Duncan is off on a mission and I am left alone to manage the yard. I wouldn't say I felt ready to fly solo but sometimes you have no choice but to bite the bullet and get on with it. And I have survived now on several occasions!
The blessing is that I am already wonderfully at home here. The old railway buildings have something about them that I can't describe in a tangible way; it's a spirit I feel and its good. And of course I'm gradually getting to know where things are and what we have and don't have in stock.
I found I really enjoy meeting people and I'm confident talking about the yard because I have very quickly become passionate about it. I may not know the provenance, age, function or price of something, but Duncan is available on the mobile if I need information, however, I can share in a customers enthusiasm for their particular quest or project. I'm amazed at the tasks people choose to undertake and the hard work, love and care invested in creating something, usually a home, that is unique.
Change can make us all feel uneasy or fearful. There is comfort in the things we know and it can be natural to wrap ourselves up in it and keep things just the same. For a while I'd been resigned to teaching until retirement; what else could I possibly do ? It wasn't heavy hearted resignation, I loved teaching, but there was the slightest feeling that I might just be missing out on something, that an adventure could be passing me by. I'm not claiming to have been brave, the odd person muted I was being foolhardy, but I stepped out of my comfort zone. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and said yes to change. And, when I wander in to Craven arms and hear children in the playground or see students waiting for their bus to college, I feel a little whimsical pang of missing something that has been a joy for a quarter of a century and almost half my lifetime. Regrets? Not one. Its simple.....I feel blessed.
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