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Ahh, the calm after a storm… I am back and seated in my room, sipping coffee, snacking on biscoff cookies and enjoying the quiet morning.
The last 4 days were spent in Calgary in a knot of stress. It was annual training for work and leading up to it I spend countless hours reading over my manuals in the yard, on the sofa, the chair in my room, the floor etc. On Sunday night I boarded a plane from Vancouver and continued to read, now more worried than ever knowing that the following morning would be the exam that makes or breaks my year of employment ahead. My abdomen was screaming in pain and I reminded myself that it would pass as soon as I received a passing grade. Being Bastille day I brought the bottle of wine Cheri had delivered to me and couldn’t wait to uncork it in the hotel room. I looked through all the drawers and cabinets of my suite and there wasn’t a corkscrew to be found. I called downstairs,
“Excuse me? Would you happen to have a corkscrew I could borrow? I can’t find one in my room”
“What’s a corkscrew?”
“Oh, um, it’s a wine bottle opener…”
She tells me she’ll look and call me back,
“No, sorry, no corkscrew”
I wonder if she actually did hear me say wine bottle opener, or if she understood at all. I didn’t press the issue but the following nights weren’t any more productive than the first. Apparently I just wanted to tour the wine with me to Calgary and back. It’s a reminder that one should always be prepared and pack a corkscrew in their suitcase. At least a night out with coworkers on Tuesday did satisfy the need for a celebratory drink around the sunny picnic table at the National. A good bottle of cider and many cheers for all successfully passing our exams!
Now I can breath a sigh of relief. I get to continue to work, to enjoy the perks of this job and I made it home last night, after a red-alert lightening storm in Calgary that had all flights slowed to a crawl at least Larissa joined me at the airport for coffee and pastries while I waited and we storm watched. So glad to be back!
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