Discover life - Ingenious differences
Have I been alive today / in the last few days?
Yes! To a certain extent, though – the long train journey to Wiesbaden (7 hours each way) for a women’s day was a bit of a struggle with my back playing up… I’ve been waking up in pain every night for the past three weeks, and I’m not quite as full of energy as usual.
Even so, I’m enjoying life… autumn, the mild air, the leaves that fall on my head when I’m cycling or out for a walk.
I felt particularly alive when I met the children of friends I was staying with in Wiesbaden. One morning, whilst I was having a shower, there was a knock at the door. Benico was standing there: „I need a wee.“ I let him in, drew the shower curtain across, and he went for a wee whilst telling me everything he knew about volcanoes. He knew quite a lot. And he went for a wee and carried on talking. And went for a wee… and carried on talking… and I showered and showered and showered. As I was starting to worry I might slowly dissolve – he really did know a lot about volcanoes – but didn’t know how the family felt about strangers being naked, I reached through a gap in the curtain to grab a towel and wrapped myself up in it.
What new things have I discovered about life?
Nothing really new, but it never ceases to amaze me. People are all different. At the weekend, whilst I was in Wiesbaden speaking to 250 women, Katti and Christian held the fort at the boat. They painted the entire ceiling of the seminar room with anti-rust paint. I was so relieved that they’d got that far. Katti came back on Monday and helped me with the last few corners. I’m generally fine with painting, but painting overhead is just exhausting. When I asked them both how they’d got on, they both replied: „It was loads of fun!“
I think it’s absolutely lovely that people find joy in different things. One person enjoys this, whilst another enjoys something completely different.
What new things have I discovered about myself?
I can’t do the work of four people at once – and it’s a right pain that I have to try anyway. My closest colleague has been off for three weeks, and a second one for ten days. Among other things, the two of them look after the online shop and edit new titles. I can – and must – take on some of their work so that projects are completed (more or less) on time. But I can’t do everything. And it’s a challenge to keep a clear head, set priorities even more carefully than usual, and not let myself get overwhelmed by everything that simply can’t be done.
That’s why I’m doubly glad that I’ve got so much support in my fourth job – as a boat builder and restorer. I’m grateful to Christian, Katti, Kerstin, Jörg and Yves, who lend a hand for a few hours (almost) every week. To Christina and Tom, who’ve helped me immensely with the plans. And to everyone else who’s pitched in for a few hours or a day here and there.
Today marks a milestone: the boat has been derusted and coated with anti-corrosion paint. It was extremely important to me to get this done before winter, so that the boat’s structure doesn’t suffer any further damage. Today I’ve applied the final coat of paint – apart from a few tiny corners where there are still bits and bobs lying around. The floor paint now needs to dry for three days. On Saturday, I’ll be tidying up and cleaning with a few helpers, bringing the building materials back from the roof into the boat, and setting up the workbench – then the interior fit-out can begin. I’m delighted that Helge is coming from Hamburg for a week to help me with this and teach me a few things. What a treat!
But for now, let’s celebrate reaching the „Rust removal and rust protection complete“ milestone. The milestone was scheduled for the end of September; I didn’t quite manage that, but 8 October is still within the timeframe (being one week behind schedule is, percentage-wise, better than Berlin Airport). Yes, that’s a reason to celebrate. (A better photo will be posted in a few days; it was already too dark this evening.)
I’m delighted for you that things are moving forward, and I’ll pray that your back gets better soon!
Kind regards,
Edelgard
THANK YOU for sharing in my joy and for your prayers!