Days of Gratitude - Cafes, Cakes, North in Newcastle, and Happy Hexham

 13^th June

Following in another Gratitude Group member's footsteps:

Grateful for free tea and cake at John Lewis. Grateful for a free way to fill an hour between appointments.

Grateful, although the service from the person at the counter may be cause for a complaint. I don't mind them getting it wrong but saying sorry would be nice - and is surely part of lesson one in basic customer service.

I won't be returning - unless I get another voucher!

Grateful too for the randomish person who gave me the voucher a few weeks ago.

Blob Thing certainly enjoyed his feast and will be blogging about it in due course. He is liking being a blogger even if no one appreciates his efforts.

14^th June

Grateful for the hundreds who were at a vigil in Newcastle last night to remember those killed in the mass shooting in Orlando. Grateful to have been able to be one of the many.

Grateful too for a walk. I had no idea where I was going but had left the house anyway.

A minute after setting out, clueless, Amanda messaged me about something so I asked her: North, South, East, or West?

She chose North. So I said I would walk North for an hour.

An hour later I was almost due North of my start point.

That worked out well.

Too many pictures. These are from that first hour. Overdoing it on pictures again!  There will be a blog post eventually.

North was a good choice.  Thank you Amanda for your wise decision.

15^th June

A couple of weeks ago I was struggling in town and headed into a cafe to hide and try to get my head in order. But I had a panic attack in the cafe and had to leave again. Fast. I then stood motionless in the street for the next quarter of an hour before having the ability, just about, to walk the maybe 20 metres to a bus stop to get home.

Grateful because today I was able to return to the same cafe and enjoy the experience and not have a panic attack or meltdown or shutdown.

That's not something I can take for granted.

I am glad that today the city centre was reasonably easy for me.

16^th June

Grateful for being able to take a trip to Hexham. Grateful for how much better things are right now than a year ago.

For wandering and exploring and finding some unexpected things.

For having photos for five or six blog posts for Blob Thing and one or two posts for myself.

For the Hexham charity shops.

I bought a course on creative writing that looks excellent.

A Fat Face dress.

And (sorry about my misplaced fringe and my skirt visible at the bottom: messy Clare!) for finding this dress.

I managed to buy something that Amanda really wants. And that is a very rare event.

 June 17^th

Grateful for a three hour lunch in a cafe.

For sitting with people I know while eating this £2.50 plate of food. And remembering why I stopped sitting in their groups.

And then, just about to leave for home, I heard my name. And sat with more people and ate cake. Yay for being social with a SA Newcastle Daily Gratitude Group member

So tired after all the social and was physically shaking on the way home.

But the social was good and so was the food.

I would prefer, on the good days, to be social for a while and then be exhausted afterwards.  Because I am determined to live.