What a week I’ve had!
I mentioned in last week’s blog Dreams and Desires that I had been dancing at Blackpool Tower Ballroom.
I‘d actually had a full weekend of dance.
I’d danced at my usual/favourite venue on Friday night too, staying over in a hotel (4 hours sleep) before setting off for Blackpool on the Saturday morning.
En route, I’d stopped off and had coffee and a catch up with my brother and nephew, who I hardly ever see.
This was lovely for me 🙂
Followed by lunch at a fabulous Middle Eastern restaurant and shopping in Liverpool with a dancing friend and her son.
Also lovely 🙂
Then a quick shower and 6 hours of dancing at beautiful Blackpool Tower; and back to the hotel for 4 more hours sleep.
On Sunday morning, my son met us for a hearty breakfast.
Super lovely 🙂
Before we did the 2.5 hour drive home.
It was a full-on, but absolutely wonderful weekend.
On Monday and Tuesday I saw 12 clients (working till 9.30pm) both nights.
Then on Wednesday morning I got up at 4.50am to be on the first train to London for a 3-day Entrepreneur’s Marketing conference I was attending.
I wouldn’t usually plan so much in one week, but there was no way I was missing the opportunity to dance at Blackpool Tower OR attend the Entrepreneur conference.
Neither could be moved, so I had no choice.
The headline speaker at the conference, was someone I really, really wanted to see.
There were other speakers I was excited to see too.
My Coach was also going to be there, so it was a great opportunity to meet him and his team ‘in the flesh’ and to see him speak on stage.
On the train, I felt a bit off colour. My throat was ‘scratchy’ and I felt very tired.
Understandable I thought, considering my super early start and my busy few days.
I rallied once I got to London.
I love the hustle and bustle and mix of cultures there.
It’s so different to my sleepy, little East Yorkshire village.
A wonderful contrast!
The hotel where I was staying, and where the event was being held was stunning.
Super-luxurious with fabulous views overlooking the Thames and Canary wharf.
How lucky I felt to be in two such beautiful, but very different venues in the same week.
The first day of the conference was amazing.
I was blown away by the standard of speakers and how friendly everyone was.
It reminded me of when you go to a wedding abroad…
Most of you don’t know each other, but because you’re all there for the same reason, you feel like old friends!
I wrote pages and pages of invaluable notes.
The last speaker finished at 7pm.
I decided to have an early night so I would be fresh and ready for the next day.
I ordered room service, had a lovely bath and put on my snuggly robe and complimentary slippers.
I really wasn’t feeling well, but I thought an early night would sort me out.
But after a very restless night’s sleep, I woke up with a heavy cold.
I felt rotten.
What terrible timing!
I hadn’t had a cold for years.
Covid was my first thought.
(Do you remember the days when a cold was just a cold?)
Despite regular dancing and being out and about for the last 3 years, I had never had Covid.
Anytime I’ve ever felt remotely off colour, I’ve always tested negative.
I went on the hunt for a pharmacy and some tests.
There was no way I could sit in a room full of very nice people, in good faith, knowing I had the virus.
Luckily, I tested negative.
Phew!
Thank goodness – it was just a cold.
There’s a lot of it about at the moment, so people are saying… (this always makes me smile).
I distanced myself from people as much as I possibly could all day.
Only attending the Thursday night party for a couple of hours – I did have a tiny dance to the live band 🙂
This was really not what I had planned, but I was still feeling rotten and didn’t want to pass anything on.
The final morning I tested negative again.
Relief!
Once again, I kept myself to myself. Trying to limit my germ-spreading as much as I possibly could.
We were told mid-morning that the headline speaker had had to cancel at the last minute, due to a family emergency.
I have to say, I was gutted.
But family comes first.
If it was my family, it would be a no-brainer, so I can’t hold it against anyone else.
The substitute headliner turned out to be very good too, so it wasn’t too big of a disappointment in the end.
The conference was absolutely outstanding. The best business event I’ve ever attended (by a mile).
I came away on an absolute high.
I’d learned so much and made some amazing new friends and connections along the way, despite my cold.
My high was deflated a little on my journey back home.
First of all, my train was cancelled.
Then someone was taken ill on one of my tubes.
Then my second train was delayed by almost an hour.
Then someone was sat in my seat, who pulled his face when I politely told him so.
The train was absolutely packed.
Thankfully, another kind man offered me his window seat instead.
This meant I sat next to the loveliest young man (a story for another blog).
Then, because of the delayed train, I missed my connection and had to wait on a freezing cold platform for 40 minutes.
And finally, my taxi driver got completely lost and went right round the houses, instead of getting me home.
I eventually got into bed at midnight, after a 7-hour journey back.
I have never been so glad to see my own bed – ever!
I’m writing this blog later than I normally would, because I’ve enjoyed just chilling out this weekend.
My cold turned out to be the heaviest cold I’ve ever had and it didn’t seem to be getting any better, so this morning, before I saw any clients I thought I would test again.
This time my test was positive.
My cold is Covid.
It seems very strange to see 2 lines appearing, after nearly 3 years of only ever seeing one.
After all this time, Covid has caught up with me.
I feel so guilty.
I truly hope I haven’t passed it on to anyone else.
Especially the lovely young man on the train.
I’m so sorry if I have.
Overall, this week has been one of the best, most fulfilling, exciting weeks I’ve ever had.
So why am I sharing all of this with you?
Well, just to show you that:-
- All lives have ups and downs; no matter how carefully you plan things, stuff happens.
- Covid happens too, even if you secretly hope you’re super-immune, like I did, and won’t ever get it.
- Most people online only ever talk about the good things that happen to them and not the bad. I want to be more transparent than that.
- Even good things can be stressful, when they’re all on top of each other.
- We all need our sleep, if we’re to keep our immune systems tip-top.
- We can’t control public transport, no matter how organised we are.
- We can’t control who does or doesn’t show up at an event, no matter how much we want to see them.
- Family come first, no matter how successful and in demand we are.
- No matter how luxurious your hotel, there is nothing like you’re own bed when you’re feeling tired and ill.
- You never know who you might meet on a train, when somebody else sits in your seat.
That’s it from germ-ridden me.
Much Love
Christina xx
(Hopefully Covid-free next week)