I am surrounded by good people.  I felt uninspired yesterday to write in my blog.  This morning I realized that inspiration does not have to be profound, but it’s the little things that matter most.

Yesterday, I finished my 2-day training session with Capilano University to become an ESLSAP/CALL tutor.  I much enjoyed the learning process and understanding how to teach individuals how to speak English and settle in the community.  I liked meeting new people… good people… who wanted to volunteer their time to teach others English.  I met retired teachers, community members, and other folk who had an enjoyable time together with our workshop facilitators.  Good energy, good times.

After the session, I left the conference room at the Gibsons Library (my first time being there… very cool) and bumped into a woman I met last week from the first tutoring workshop session.  We had chatted the day before at Aikido and had coffee at the store while our kids were participating in their extracurricular activity.  It was great seeing her again and her daughter at the library. 

Off to London Drugs before returning home (an opportunity Sechelt residents take when going Gibsons) to buy some computer ink and paper.  I bumped into another woman who participated in an art class we took together last fall together.  I think the last time I saw her was almost a year ago.  Anyway, she said hello and asked how my dissertation was going.  What a nice surprise. 

Feeling pretty stoked about bumping into friendly faces and completing my workshop, a good friend calls me on my way home.  I talked to her hands-free on my Blackberry (that was sooooo cool… first time doing that) and we always have a good laugh talking about nothing.  We did lose contact mid-drive, but called her back in the parking lot of the bank.  I was burning up some time before I returned home to the Grade 7 babysitter.  It seems fair to use a complete 2-hours of service.

Aside from having another pleasant experience at the bank with the teller (a former student) and gabbing about ‘turkey dinners’… I returned home to find my daughter, her babysitter and the babysitter’s sister all having a great time.  That was the first time this babysitter took care of my daughter at my house.  She was great.  I offered them a ride home, but they opted to walk.

After greeting my kid, we made her favorite dinner… TACOS.  She loved it and I was in a rush because I had two new clients coming in for tutoring.  The brother and sister duo were a delight.  The tutoring session was stimulating and very enjoyable.  Their mom is fantastic.  She was so supportive and knowledgeable of her kids learning.  I gave her an A+ for her part in the learning process.  Best of all, when she asked kids how the session went, they both said, “it was fun.”  Good feelings.

The evening continues with a long chat on the phone with another good friend.  She is a curling buddy.  I love curling with her, but I am strongly considering not to curl this year for various reasons.  My buddy is very understanding and thoughtful.  We talked about curling, my studies, career goals, change, friends in common, and what’s happening overall.  She even talked my daughter for a bit.

During the phone call, my husband returned home after being out of town for a few days.  He sat down to watch the hockey game, but brought home gifts… a HUGE candy apple for my daughter and a camel pack for me.  What a pleasant surprise.  I love the bag.  It’s a really nice way to support me in my new interest in mountain biking and my daughter’s interest in candy.

I was glad to see my husband home and we gabbed about how the trip went… thanking him for the thoughtful gift.  Before I knew it, it was time to take part in my daughter’s night time routine of showering, getting ready, and reading.  My husband reminded me to call one of his friends who was looking for some tutoring.  I called and left a message.  He called me back a few minutes later, apologetic, humbled, and eager to support his son.  He shared his story and made an appointment.

Whew… the day ends with a hot bath… reviewing spelling words with my daughter… and scratching my husband’s back before going to bed.  There was not on ‘special’ thing that happened to me yesterday, yet everything and everyone seemed special.  It’s strange that yesterday I felt somewhat uninspired to write in my blog.  I thought I had nothing special to write about.  I was wrong.  

Thank you good people for being in my life.  You are all special to me.