he
Big boy - nearly 2 1/2 now - has just moved up to a pre-kindy room at Daycare, the Zebra room. He knows that he has to press the '3' button on the lift now, not the '2'. I was a little apprehensive when we first found out that he was to move; he'd been quite settled in the Grasshopper/toddler room, and loved his teachers. Once I'd visited the Zebras, however, I was excited! The teachers are lovely, clever, creative and kind. The program seems completely appropriate for him and his interests, the kids are friendly and chatty and the transition from one room to the other was gradual and thorough, taking the entire previous month. And I read this poster on the classroom door each time I enter. Wouldn't it be great if every door we walked through had a sign which explicitly told us what we could expect from the people inside?!
me
Being ridiculously shy around strangers and in unfamiliar contexts, I usually feel too awkward to spend long at any potential work-space/cafe, or to even step through the door, sometimes. However I've been feeling pretty comfortable spending my computer-work days at the Clarence Corner Bookshop/Cafe lately. It ticks all the boxes: has good music, walls lined with books (my favourite kind of wall) vegetarian food and daily soups, reasonable prices, a calm atmosphere, toys for little visitors, free wifi, pretty lead-light windows, chai tea on milk, raw vegan desserts, satisfying waves of busy and quiet times, a clean toilet... They support charities and local artists... And they seem happy for me to spend multiple hours hunched over one of their tables, ordering tea or soup every hour or two. Maybe the list I've just rattled off could be posted on their door for other apprehensive customers?
