Day 225.
I have completed my first week back at work (well Monday- Thursday - my choice of days) and what a lovely week it was!👌. I was placed in a lovely school for pupils with extra learning needs. This consisted of assisting in the classroom, playing in the playground in the wonderful weather and in a lovely school right next to the beach, going on the school bus with another class to gymnastics and practicing a walk around the grounds of the school with the children for a mini marathon they are competing in this weekend as part of the big London marathon event!
The first class I was put in to assist had 6 pupils who were non verbal and wheelchair bound. I did 3 of my 4 days with this class. I received some lovely comments from the teacher and the other teaching assistants in that class. The teacher said she had never seen her pupils so engaging and quiet when I was doing story time with them and the other assistants were pleased that I just “mucked in” and got straight on with things from the get go!💪.
It was such a pleasure to do story time with these children. I love doing story time but to see these children’s emotions in their eyes and them smiling back at me was just so rewarding 🥲. My agency contact also emailed me to say she had received “great feedback” from the school too 👌.
Next week, I am off to do some teacher assisting in a beautiful nursery, literally over the road from my sister’s house and around the corner from my apartment! No bus ride to work and back. Although I will be working longer hours, it will only mean a 10 minute lovely walk to work AND I can slip across to my sister’s for my lunch break!😆. The extra money will also come in handy too 👌.
I have told the agency that I would like to try all school settings, including mainstream primary and secondary, along with the specialist school I have already been to and next week, I will be experiencing working in a nursery setting for the first time - just as well I love kids!🥰😆.
I am just going to keep well in with each of the managers and “show willing”. Then hopefully, I will be able to dictate where I want to work, when and for how long 🤞🙏. So far, so good 👍.
Yesterday was my day off leading into the weekend. I actually thought to myself “Wow, I have had a lovely time this week, working with the most vulnerable of children, enjoying it and I am getting paid for this!
It has been a breath of fresh air, compared to working with non compliant offenders in the probation service for 20 years and then working for the past 14 months in the passport office (with lovely colleagues) but with a horrible line manager who used bullying tactics tics on me 👊.
Last week, as soon as 3.30am came, I said my goodbyes and was straight off home! Another positive of working for an agency - you are not compelled to do any more than your contracted hours 👍.
So folks, the moral of the story is …….. “it is never too late to go down a new path to try something new” no matter how late in life you do this. At 63 years old, I am now asking myself if I have found my new vocation in life!!😆.
Today therefore, I am grateful for the following:
Having had a lovely time in my first week back at work
Being fit, healthy and mobile
Having a Friday off leading nicely into a long weekend before returning to work on Monday
Earning my own money again
Having had my friend/paying lodger (she moves out next Saturday)
Starting work just in time before my friend/lodger moves into her new home
Having the best sister/best friend - I don’t get paid until next Friday and I discovered that she had put £100 into my bank account!😲😇🩷.
Take care everyone and hope you all have a lovely g.f weekend 😎.
”No thoughts of gambling. No money spent on gambling. No money lost on gambling = Tick, tick, tick”!👌💪.
🩷🍎.
What an amazing post Pink !!!! Are we on a website for degenerate gambling addicts who spent their life gambling ? Just goes to show, you can achieve what ever you want and you are the proof 💞
Hey Pinky,
Been very busy lately so not had a chance to comment, but have been reading your diary. Been super happy since you got back on your feet. I knew it would work itself out, and I knew you'd find something you enjoy. Good people get good rewards!
I think many gamblers initially think they are not good people. Most of us are deep down, we've just done stupid things. Getting GF is the best thing we can do, and your diary shows, that's even when life gets you down, gambling is not the answer. Stay away and good things await.
So happy you are enjoying life and work. Big change. Big inspiration to me. Takes allot of courage to get through being unemployed and worrying about money for as long as you did. Could have tempted many of us back to gambling, but you rode that wave amazingly, and with such good spirits.
Legend!! 🙂
You hit the nail on the head there Fish, I just wrote my step 4, who am I and my sponsor has asked me to start again as he doubted whether I was really that bad all the time so I'm going to
Pink, you are coming up to 1000 posts on here, and everyone I've read has been amazing. Full of hope and inspiration 💗
@p6z38njbqm Lovely to hear from you Fish 🐟💙. Thank you for the lovely comments too! The sheer thought of gambling whilst being unemployed these past 6 months just gives me anxiety thinking about that scenario!😱. Thankfully I didn’t and had no intention/inclination to either.
🩷🍎.
Day 238.
Well, well, well ……… Who would have thought that having a complete change of career at aged 63 would bring me so much joy, relief and a whole lot less stress!!🙌👌.
So, after working at a private nursery literally a 9 minute walk from my home (and just around the corner from me), for the past two weeks, the most I have had to use my brain cells is to sing “the wheels on the bus” and “ten green bottles”. Along with story time (which I love doing) to the various classes/age groups in the nursery and role playing “having a tea party with all the pretend food! Plus, I am being paid more per hour for doing this than I was being paid working in the passport office!😲👌.
When I was leaving work last Thursday after completing my first week, I received some lovely feedback from the manager. She thanked me for all what I had done and said she was looking forward to having me back the following week. With this in mind, I contacted my agency and put to her that if I was willing to commit to 3 long working days - 8.30 - 5.30pm (well long for me anyway)!😆, would the nursery commit to having me there longterm? The agency called me and gave me great feedback to say that the nursery would be “delighted” to have me there on a long term basis 👌. I even managed to negotiate my 3 days - Tues to Thurs so nice long weekends and no need to take annual leave if I go away 👍. I was asked that if I was needed on a Monday from time to time, could I do a Monday- Wed, which I agreed to. All in all, the management and staff are really happy/grateful that I am there and this has been such a nice feeling. Especially having such a horrible, mood swinging, previous line manager at the passport office 👎.
When I think about it, that line manager has actually done me a favour being so temperamental with me. She has led me to working with young babies and children who I just find fascinating, adorable and precious and, to be able to go back to working 3 days again. That would never have been allowed if I was still at the passport office. Even if I am offered a job there for a permanent position (as I am on 2 waiting lists), I am going to turn it down. I am a risk taker and I just believe I am better where I am and doing something I like and although physically tiring, it is sooooo much less taxing on my brain and my eyes - not being glued to a computer screen all day 👌.
Whilst the last few months have been really stressful and worrying, I feel my prayers have been answered from him above and that I am truly grateful for. As well as my amazing family for helping me through these past six months financially 💙🩷.
It feels so nice going into a long weekend with no stress or anxiety about returning to work. Rather, actually looking forward to seeing all the children again on Tuesday 🥰.
Have a lovely weekend everyone and so will I.
”No thoughts of gambling. No money spent on gambling. No money lost on gambling = Tick, tick, tick 👌”.
🩷🍎.
Hi Pink
And you get paid to do it !!!! I knew something was coming good for you 😀
@lp5vut869c Yes Stuart. You had faith in me and I thank you for that!💙.
I hope things are ok for you and you and your family soon find your perfect home to rent 🤞🙏🙏.
Take care.
🩷🍎.
Not great unfortunately but chin up. No houses that work, 31 days to find one and of course anything coming on now has a waiting period beyond a month. Can't even get an interview for a job. Things getting desperate and now mobile and laptop are dying on me lol so might disappear off here. I've gone from having everything to nothing but I've also gone from nothing to everything.
@lp5vut869c So sorry to hear all this Stuart but be assured that you are in my prayers 🤞🙏🙏. As you said, you no longer have gambling in your life - the thing that almost destroyed you, until you took charge of the matter and changed all that. Be proud of that achievement 👏👏👏.
Take care.
🩷🍎.
Thank you Pink, no looking back
just popping by to say how lovely it is to see you so happy and enjoying ur roles....... well well done pink xx
We are available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. You can also contact us for free on 0808 80 20 133. If you would like to find out more about the service before you start, including information on confidentiality, please click below. Call recordings and chat transcripts are saved for 28 days for quality assurance.
