About Time!

by 

Pixie Chick

             "Procrastination is the thief of time, " so said Charles Dickens. How right he was, is and ever will be. We all procrastinate about many things, everyday things, once in a lifetime things, things we know we need to do today but put off until tomorrow, or the next day....or never. I'm good at that, unless I have a deadline, then I am onto it and whoa betide anyone who interrupts. 

            I have worked on and off most of my life until two years ago when the company I worked for, decided they didn't need an old person working in their production....despite the fact that the work I put in was twice the amount my generation Y assistant did. However, this is not a pick session...far from it.

My husband had just been employed in work in factory quite some distance from where we lived; my own job being 40 kilometres south of home, but easy to get to straight down the M1. My husband's work was 25 kilometres to the west of where we lived and he not being a driver meant I had to drive him to and from work, and the days when I worked I would clock up a hefty 170 kilometres per day in driving to both jobs, and back.

         It didn't bother me doing the driving, I'm good at it and I enjoy it, although the stupids who like to drive like 'tubes' on the freeways, forced my hand into finally buying a dashcam, which has proven to be a very handy investment. Sometimes, I'd have to work late and that meant I couldn't contact hubby because neither of us could take our mobiles into the factories. One day he finished early due to a power outage in his factory, and I finished late which meant that he had to wait for four hours before I could collect him. The situation was frustrating at times, to say the least.

        Then one day I developed a skin condition possibly from the chemicals we used, and told my boss. That evening I received a call from my employment counsellor who told me the company had decided they no longer wanted my services. Hmmmm, I thought. I wasn't too upset, as I just assumed that at the age of 61 the boss would rather employ a younger person. I spoke to hubby about it and his response was...."That is good, you can now stay at home and retire, and just drive me to work." I wasn't keen on that idea but decided that I'd give it a go anyway, at least for a while.

       I got itchy feet and wanted to be working again, but finding work for an over 60's female with a disability or two, was not the easiest, so after several months resigned myself to being just a housewife. Once I got the idea through my head that I wasn't going to find another job at my age, I began to enjoy being a housewife, something I hadn't done for many years. However, living in a motel room, where I'd been for the previous 6 years, was proving a challenge by then. It was way too small, cluttered but clean and tidy. There was no kitchen, just an improvised one I'd made up when I moved there all those years before. 

       One day, I decided to sort out some of my stuff that I felt I could do without, and indeed managed to get rid of some, but not enough it seemed. The room still didn't look any different so I challenged myself a little more, and on going through my older stashed files, came across my writings. Years before I had studied with The Writing School and earned myself a Diploma in Writing. I hadn't forgotten about it, it was just somewhere in the back of my mind and everything else was blocking my view. Procrastinator!

     I opened up some of my study files and sat on the floor, leaning on the bed, began reading some of my work. I was quite surprised when I read the comments of my old tutor who said I had a flair for writing and should consider writing more. Most of the rest of that day was wasted sitting reading my old modules and then I remembered the ones I had saved on my old floppy disks. Hah! I thought, that will be a waste of time, my modern computer doesn't even have a floppy disk drive.....does it?  Not one to be terribly interested in the ins and outs of computers, I like them to just be able to do what I want them to do, and hadn't taken any notice as to whether or not, my pc even had a floppy drive, after all, they really are pretty outdated now. But, curiosity got the better of me and I took a look, and lo and behold, my pc had a small floppy drive. 

      The next idea posed another challenge....will it actually read my floppy disks? I put one in and to my immense surprise, it did! I was really excited by this time because it meant I hadn't lost all my work, or the book I had written way back in 1995. How wonderfully satisfying. So, for the next couple of weeks after I'd done the work run in the mornings, I'd hurry through my chores then sit down at my pc and read my work. I was suddenly spurred on to start writing again. 

     Since then, I have thoroughly enjoyed writing about all sorts of things and began doing travel reviews for Trip Advisor, my all time favourite site, as well as one travelogue for Matador . However, I haven't written any on there for a few months as I have been absorbed in writing other things. I have many sitting on my pc just waiting to be edited and read. Therein lies the problem.....they are on my pc.....they are NOT on my blog page or anywhere else for that matter. 

    A few days ago, I was on my way home from the morning work run and stopped at a servo for a much needed energy drink (yes I know they are bad for me, but I had been unwell and had no energy, so that was my excuse). The young Indian guy behind the counter asked if I was on my way to or from work, so I replied that I am my hubby's driver. He asked what I do and I replied I was a housewife but I spend a lot of time on my pc writing. He was curious as to what I write about so I told him, anything I want, but mostly short stories, travelogues (which are my favourites) and I also take and edit photos, mostly landscapes.

      He was very interested in my writings, and asked me for a link so he could read what I write. That's when it hit me! I never in my life believed that anyone would ever be interested in reading anything I wrote, yet here was a complete stranger, interested enough to even ask. I was more than surprised and embarrassingly had to admit, I do have a blog spot and have had since 2010, but there's nothing on it! I don't know why I never never got around to it, maybe it was just the thought that nobody would ever be interested. Procrastinator!

      Well, here it is...my first blog for my own blog spot, and its well enough, about time!