On Friday the 9th the schools closed for the summer break and so I am out of a job for the next 6 weeks or so, however I am very happy to have a break and of course I will be heading off in three weeks or so on holiday.
Driving the school bus is one of those stop gap jobs, it’s not a career move and so I treat it in that fashion. I arrive in the morning and pick up my keys and head to the bus to do the pre-checks which need to be done each day. I am not a social butterfly and I usually walk with a demeanour that says as much. If I am spoken to I will speak back but I have no desire to make new friends and relate my life story or hear about theirs. I keep myself to myself and I usually speak to those that I have worked with and have had a rapport with. Many have very little in common and believe it or not I have struggled with some to find common ground which is not something I am used to and anyway its way too much effort.
I’ve worked with Grant for the past few months and we get on really well, and we manage each day to put the world to rights………..although if the casual passer-by was to eavesdrop mid-way through some of the conversations they would be horrified. No subject has been off the table and it is very refreshing to be able to chat with someone without it turning into a major shit fight. We have had a few laughs and this has been the same for the others that I worked with. I have come to realise that I am not the only non-political correctness creature that works there and it is those folk whose company I have enjoyed.
And so it was no surprise to hear the other day that I was not one of the more popular drivers in the yard and this is not because I have been rude to anyone but because I don’t go around and be a social butterfly and also possibly because I have disagreed with a couple of them and told them in plain English in no uncertain terms. As I said before I went there to make money, not friends.
Next year however I will need to change direction as feel that stagnation is setting in. I need to start using my brain once more and try to face a few challenges in whatever job I end up in. of course I would rather not work but the bank balance is not healthy enough for me to sit back and chill.
This has been the worst year I have had in a long time and it began with the flooding at the beginning of the year. I didn’t lose much because the water only went through the shed at the bottom of the garden but the stress that it created was immense and I more or less shut down and retreated to my cave. PTFD (Post Traumatic Flood Disorder) it’s a thing and when it rains you just have to get up to check that all is well. The sound of torrential rain on the roof has only brought stress and anxiety to me and to many others. I tried to sell the house and move away from future potential dramas but that was unsuccessful mostly due to the other flooding disasters that took place all down the East coast of Australia. Some communities have been flooded multiple times in the last few years and I don’t know how they are able to cope. I would not be surprised if a few of them topped themselves.
Insurance companies are no longer insuring many of these communities and of course many don’t have insurance because the premiums are just too expensive, this is something I am extremely worried about because my insurance has gone up 150% since 2020. The one bit of good news is that they are predicting that next year will be dry in comparison. La Niña will persist until March of next year which means that there may be flooding still to come in the short term.
And so to the future and what will it bring? Well whatever happens I need to change my current trajectory and I am hoping that once I return from my adventure I will have a clearer picture. I think I will still try to sell the house but I also need the weather to behave or I will have no chance of that unless I take a hit to the hip pocket and I am in no position for that to happen. Next year is the year of the Rabbit and well maybe it might put a little bounce back into Life, the Universe and Everything.
