We arrived at the hotel with a day to spare. We had wanted to make sure I had a day to rest before hitting the consultations that I had lined up. I rested by shopping, having ice tea at every opportunity, and simply enjoying pushing myself around. It was great to be away from home, great to be back on the road. I wasn’t too worried about the consultations because I’ve worked with these folks for over 25 years and know them well.
I arrived at work, early, and then we hit it hard. I found myself able to be attentive, listen well, and ask the questions that got me the information I needed. In the interviews with the people with disabilities, I never consult on someone who I’ve not spoken to or whose eyes I don’t know the colour of, we were able to build rapport and speak with each other deeply.
At the end of the day, I felt good. I felt strong. I felt like I had more in me to give. I hadn’t burned through all my fuel. The day, then, was a success. Day two there was similar.
We had the weekend off, which we used well, and then I was at another table with differing expectations. On the first day there were a few presentations and then the next on brought on the real work and, again, I enjoyed being there, listening, learning, taking notes, asking questions. It was fun.
I am on a roll.
But next comes two days of lecturing.
This is what I had worried about.
This is what I’d feared.
Part of me just wanted to go home, avoid the situation and simply retire from the expectations that come with the role of teacher, trainer, lecturer. But the car was pointed south west and we were on our way.
