Problem solving.

 Good morning. 

My first coffee at 6am. I shared my bed with two cats. Oscar has decided he rather likes the soft comfort of two duvets, so now he joins me and Mickey and we sleep together. I think he is fed up of waiting for me to get up in the mornings. I see it rained overnight, so that's probably why. A night on the tiles is not so appealing when it is chucking it down with rain. I thought I might water up (the pots) last night, glad I didn't bother. Nature has done the job for me. 

I wake up with all kinds of thoughts running through my head. Some of them would make good blog posts, but an hour later they have fizzled into oblivion. I will however jot down a few notes from what I remember about my early morning thoughts this morning. 

Problem solving is something I have always been able to cope with. I have never been really stuck for long. There is always a way round a problem. I can think of several instances where I have felt there is no solution. But I am often proved wrong. 

Like the time I got the lorry stuck in a small space in an unloading bay at a Kwik Save shop. I must have done a 20 point shunt trying to get out. I thought about ringing my boss and asking what I should do. I took a few deep breaths and thought, that's a daft idea. He was 100 miles away, I have got to sort this out myself, and I did. Just keep trying, don't give up.

Like the time I was in a yard in Birmingham, just loaded up some pieces of machinery on a stepframe trailer, inside a Lucas factory. All fastened down with chains and straps. Pulled very slowly through a narrow gate onto the road. Two tall pieces of machinery wobbled and crashed to the ground. A big pool of oil covered the road, which had to be closed. It was a bus route which added to the problem. So what did I do wrong? Every day driving a truck is a learning curve. I was rushed to get my trailer loaded because there were others waiting to go in after me. The crew loading with the crane wanted the job done quickly. I was inexperienced. What I learnt then was I had to work at my own pace. 

Like the time I thought I might be pregnant, I was 19. I took a chance, thankfully I wasn't. My solution was to never take that chance again. After a long time taking the contraceptive pill, I needed to find a different solution, and so I was sterilised. 

Like the time I got tangled up with someone who was a control freak. He wanted to dominate my every waking moment. The questions, the interrogations, were intolerable. The solution, I had to finish it after a couple of years. Enough was enough.

Like the time I was doing long seven day hikes. Halfway through a walk I stopped in a town and found a B & B. I was knackered and needed to take half a day off. Or, the time I was on the last day and wanted to reach my destination. I could see the Humber Bridge on the horizon hours before I got there. I kept  going even though I was at the point of collapse. I made it. From Selby to the bridge was 30 miles. Finished at 9pm. 14 hours of walking. The solution, keep going. 

Like the time I wanted to go to Moscow. I asked my friends if they wanted to come with me. This was years ago when it seemed a silly place to go on holiday. My solution, I went alone, joined a package holiday. It was fascinating. 

Like the time I bought my first house. Small terraced cottage. It needed a lot of work doing to it. For a while I lived in dust, bare walls, and no floor, while the work was done. It took all my money. Skint again when I bought my second house. Three bed semi detached. Needed work doing but I couldn't afford it so I lived in it as it was. Third house. Skint again. Moved 100 miles away. Better house I can live with the decor of the previous owner. Still here 25 years later, still not decorated. Now not skint. 

Finding a way through all the obstacles in life has not dampened my spirits. There will always be a solution. Other people may deal with their problems in their own way. There is not one solution that fits all. 

People sometimes start a sentence with 'why don't you bla bla bla'. Just because one person finds a solution to their own problem does not mean that the same solution will apply to others. Everyone has to find their own way in life. Just make sure you are going in the right direction.

Now it's chucking it down with rain. I shall go and join my friends at the Coffee Morning. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona