Bring your best friend to work day

…on staying hopeful

My best friend arrived by plane on Saturday morning.

This also happens to be the week the owner of the magical bookstore is away so my co-worker and I are picking up her shifts.

So Saturday I dropped off my eldest kiddo at his Dad’s, hugged my youngest, picked up my best friend, drove her the hour and a half home to my house, showed her to her room and sped off to work half the day at the shop. Then that night I was responsible for covering the local election.

When I arrived home my partner and my best friend were just finishing up watching a bizarre vampire movie set in New Zealand starting Grampa Munster.

I feel absurdly grateful that not only do I have an amazing best friend and wondrous spouse, but that they get along and have similar interests and are happy to do gently spooky Halloween things together without me. It’s magical.

Sunday I had the entire day off.

So my best friend and I went on a brilliant adventure. I took her to the building that I hope will be the future space for our bookstore/small press/community space. I say our…because it feels like it’s her space as much as mine, your space too, if you’d like to come visit. That’s what a community space is. Our space.

After my stressful accidental offer on the building on Thursday, I re-assessed my goals. I told my very pressure-y real estate agent that I did not want to keep the offer on the table. Twice. In writing.

She told me it was going to expire.

It didn’t.

They counter-offered.

Having completely ignored my feeling of overwhelm, and my clear instructions…I felt like I couldn’t trust her to represent me. I asked her if we could let the deal die.

So that’s what we did. And I really really wanted that space. It felt like killing a dream.

So yesterday I went on adventure to the town where my future bookshop might be.

Will be.

I showed the building to my best friend. I called my Dad who is deep in the forest, and he called me back.

He said. Talk to the bank, and when I get home we’ll try to figure this out.

My best friend and I are writing the kickstarter for my small press/space this week. I’m not ready to give up.

I figure I have about ten years of energy left…but if I ran a bookstore…it might be twenty or thirty. Because running a community space, that doesn’t drain me. That gives me life. Watching people connect over books brings me the kind of joy I can’t put into words. It’s elating.

Today I got to hold Potato. My wondrous boss of the place that I get to work on Mondays brought him down for a snuggle. My best friend got to meet him.

And after I felt calm. And joyful.

(A picture of me being silly, as I’m wont to do when my best friend is about)

Here is a video we took because the curtains and sun combo made the inside of the shop like a shadow puppet theatre.

Today I’m trying not to take myself or life too seriously. I’m enjoying chatting with all the folks, and laughing a lot. I’ve eaten amazing food. This wondrous space is one of my favourite places in the world…and I guess I want to make a place for other folks, like I used to have, like the two places I currently work. Because making community space is what I do, and I miss it terribly.

But the whimsy, it helps.

Heart,

Wake