Thank goodness for coffee eh?
Well, here I am, at the airport. Again. It's 8am and I've been up since 5am. Well, a girl has to make sure her fur looks good before travelling you know. Anyway, as I sit here with my Super Large Coffee, I've been contemplating travel and the journey to work.
When I started out my career as an Office Junior Mouse back in... well, let's not give any dates away, but it was more than a few weeks back, if you know what I mean, well anyway, I used to get the bus into the office every morning. I was often late as I hated that bus and that office junior job come to that. I would clonk over the road in my high heels - yes - even mice wear high heels when they're young and foolish, make the bus by the tuft of my tail and sit at the back with a good book and eat my lunch on the journey to work. Once in the City Centre (where else did anyone work in those days? Business Parks were yet to be invented), I would clonk along the pavement, staring in the shop windows at the aspirational pay day purchases, under the subway (long since filled in by Health and Safety), purchase a pocketful of mints (have I ever told you how many fillings I have) and clonk up the office steps just in time to install myself in front of my typewriter (yes, not connected to ANYTHING other than a ribbon) in time for coffee with at least four sugars (back to the fillings again). This is how everyone worked. A few years later when I had passed my driving test, I would clumsily clunk the gears and grind my way into my next office - located OUT OF TOWN (progress!) and clonk (still in the high heels) into yet another office, log onto my computer (more progress!)and while DOS booted up (not that much progress, then!) I would go and queue up for a cheese pastie (easier on the fillings).
Then Business Parks happened. Purpose built complexes complete with inadequate parking - first come, first served. I even tried getting Edie to lend me one of her stuffed rabbits so I could sit it in the passenger seat and try to sneak into the carshare spots. I logged onto bigger, faster computers, discovered coffee, and started to lower my heels. Nothing to do with age, you understand.
Then came train travel to exotic locations. London! Sheffield! Birmingham! Once I flew to Ireland! On a little tiny 6 seat plane. I was still young enough to make the most of the situation, partying with lovely Irish friends and fitting in a bit of work. I remember that trip very well. Something awful and very sobering happened in the news. The date was September 11th. Where were you?
Anyway I digress. As I got into my routine this morning, up at 5, wash my whiskers, brush my fur, brush what's left of my teeth, put on my flat travel boots, quick stock check of the travel bags, it occured to me that this is now normal. To travel not only 5, 15 or even 50 miles to the office but to travel hundreds of miles. To go by car, by train, by plane. To set up my office wherever I lay my hat, so to speak. And do you know what? I love it. It makes for an interesting life. Not so much a 9-5 as a wherever and whenever. And am sure I am more productive for it. No more staggering in late with the minimum of enthusiasm. No more timing my arrival with the delivery of morning munchies, and certainly no more sugar. I am a healthier, older and much more focussed and enthused Mouse these days (although perhaps a little less stylish). Isn't it amazing that we can get better work / life balance, which until a few years ago was just a saying without substance, by timing our work around our lives. It suits me and I find I react much more quickly.
Anyway, oops, time is flying and so must I. No delays today so off I go.
Maybe time for just one more coffee?
Wishing you all a lovely day,
Mouse xxx
