I went for a beer after work...

...and it was better than shoes!!

Ok, I will explain because so far it sounds very trivial even to me... So, to begin with, I had a lousy week... and it was not better than shoes, it was crap and it was the second one in a row and it really got to my nerves... But, it is Friday!!! And I woke up today determined to leave the bad behind and have a good last day of the working week, no matter what!

I put on my Martin Margiela boots with the concealed platform (comfort and style... I know... could not be better), my leather biker jacket and my good smile and arrived to work. Over breakfast my friends reminded me of the St. Patric's Day party at the bar. What a better way to finish work than with a party?! As the day progressed, I kept receiving compliments (best one from a lady friend who said "I want a belly like yours!"... man, Pilates pays off big time!!!) I felt better and better, my mood improved so much compared to two days ago I wouldn't believe it myself!

And after I finished some things which had been waiting for my attention these last few days, I went and joined the party. Had a cold Corona, laughed with some good friends, tried the Irish finger food (delicious meat pies, never had them before), chatted and a bit and then came home to my veggie burgers and "Law&Order" episode. No, did not need more, just that, just a beer, just a bit of socializing, just a couple of compliments and some people happy to see me, just the feeling that I did not do once again, and on a Friday, the same things I do every day... I am the kind of girl who does not need much to be content and this change away from the ordinary left me happy... and because of that it was better than shoes ;)

an afternoon off...

...may be, believe you me, better than shoes!!

I have been working like crazy lately and apart from a short weekend to my beloved Lisbon, where indeed I had a "better than shoes" time, I haven't had a break since Christmas... I know, I know, this is the most difficult time of the year, the weather remains s*** and the spring has not even given us a sign it's close and all than has made it worse... But mostly it has been work that's been quite a heavy load these past couple of months... Well, those of you who read this blog regularly might have noticed the silence...

To top it up, I had to give a lecture to 25 students last week and I have also been a bit sick, nothing serious, just enough to put me through the adventure of trying to get a doctor on a Saturday... add to that chores like fixing the car window, cleaning my running shoes from an incredible amount of dirt, getting rid of the glass and paper for recycling and you got me without any energy left in my batteries... and none of all this would ever qualify to be in this blog if it wasn't to illustrate to you the value of today's afternoon off!!!

I never thought that snoozing on the sofa, warm under a soft blanket with a cuppa next to me and watching the home shopping channel would be such a bliss! But, bliss it was! I even almost bought the Ceramicore pans (nothing sticks to it and it is sooooooo easy to clean!)... well, almost... I stopped when I could not think of a place to store it... Nevertheless, that did not spoil my afternoon at all. Admittedly there is not a lot to tell you about it, however it is exactly this absence of action that made it the special, priceless, "better than shoes" experience worth sharing here with you ;)

bad decisions...

A friend of mine posted some weeks ago the following in her facebook page: "bad decisions make good stories" and I could not agree more! Looking back in my life, boy, do I have a huge bundle of those! Bad decisions and good stories, that is ;) And to be honest, I do not regret anything! Surely with the wisdom I have accumulated over the years -please, no laughs, I am indeed old and wise, you should have guessed by now- I would have done things differently in quite many occasions, but no, I do not regret the way I did things and the decisions I made because each and everyone of them made me who I am, got me where I am... and, it is not a bad place to be :)

With this, I don't mean that bad decisions are better than shoes... when it comes to that for that matter, I have taken soooo many bad decisions relating to shoes and most of them are still in my closet (those Stella McCartney stilettos have never been worn...) reminding me that with the money I paid for those I could easily spend a week in the Caribbean! But even for the worst decisions I made the stories are good, really good, "better than shoes" good! And their benefit is not only personal, no, I can also share it! Ever so often a friend confides in me about a troublesome situation they are in, about a choice they have to make, about (more often than you think...) a guy who's being a pain in the a** and at those moments I can open the drawers of my memory and share a good story based on my mistakes, my wrong decisions, which perhaps will help and guide them to the right one!

And that is why I thought it worth mentioning. Because this is better than shoes, sharing a good story, and maybe offering some insight, some perspective to somebody who needs it. Now, obviously, there were people who shared their stories with me in the past precisely so that I don't make their mistakes... and I did... stubborn? Perhaps only human... but in the process I made my own stories, my own life. And even if my stories don't help in reality anyone, oh well, they are still good stories! Even for just a laugh :)