Lydia

I'll talk about at least one work friend :) I'm trying to do it so it's at least one from each group of friends at a time. So no one feels horribly left out or something. Should they ever read this.

To talk about Lydia, I really have to talk about Ben first. You'll get why, don't worry.

When I went back to work after having my boy, I was pretty worried. I couldn't remember much about the actual work, and most of my friends had upped and left in my time on maternity leave, like Alex, Alex, and Amy, and other people I was used to, like Nikki and Colin. Nikki had been store manager, and during my absence, Steve D had been put in charge. I'd worked for him when I just started and my then store manager, Ty, was having a sabbatical, but it was different knowing he was there permanently, not for three months only.

So I was pretty quiet when I started back, trying to relearn everything, trying to get to know new people, and sticking to those who I knew (like Kim, Robo, Vicky). One of the new guys was winding me up almost from the get go. He kept calling me 'new girl'. I told him I wasn't new, I'd been there about three years, I'd had a baby. He started calling me new girl on purpose. This is Ben by the way.

But I got on with him, even if calling me 'new girl' when I'd been there longer was so irritating. He was funny, and pretty easy-going, and since I was worried that with the new management in place work wouldn't be fun any more, it was nice to have him around. He talked a lot about going into the army, which always made me want to tell him about my cousin, also called Ben, who'd had to quit training for the army because of a fractured femur (you can pass that along Lyds) ... he's now a special constable or something in the army? Like army police or something. Anyway ... I didn't put too much stock in it, everyone talks about leaving the second they start. He's now a manager, so my perspective's spot on (don't tell him that!).

Don't get me wrong, here. I got on well with Ben, he made me laugh, made closes that much shorter, but he was kind of a man-whore, I had no interest there. I've kind of sworn of males for the next few years, boy is a pretty big handful. It's the next bit that makes the above significant.

Beacuse then I got sick, and blahblahblah ... I came back and first thing one person says to me is Ben's engaged. Ben the man-whore. Engaged to someone at work. Someone called Lydia.

I thought she was superwoman. Honest to God. She tamed the wild beast. I would've thrown myself on the floor in worship of all the women who have never managed that (like, certain boy fathers, for example). So when I met her a couple of days later it was like 'ahhhhhhhh!'

Okay, at first I got Lydia muddled up with our friend Devon. But they were both in hats, and freckled. But both super-nice, so it's okay ;) I admit, I built up Lydia in my head a tad since I heard that news before I met her, but she's a sweetheart, so she didn't disappoint, she'll be pleased to read.

So I got to know her for her, not out of some burning curiousity to know what kind of magic she used. I like her more than Ben (I don't care if you tell him that, haha). She's one of those people who, when you know she's about, you just feel happier. There's a few people like that at work, where you read the schedule and if their names are on it, you know whatever the actual day of business is like, it's going to be a Good Day. For me - Lydia, Dale, Jess, Powers, Archer, Taylor, Downsy, Dawn, Lloyd, Georgia, Sophie, Ben, Jade, Ellis and Omo are on the Good Day list. There are more, I'm sure, but not off the top of my head. She's a little ray of sunshine.

In some ways, she reminds me of the book I keep stopping and starting, On The Road. Our friend Jess is an explorer, she's never satisfied unless she's doing something. On the go non-stop ... and since there's been good weather, they've been talking, at work, on facebook, on blogs, abotu all the stuff they're doing, all the stuff they're planning to do. The positivity in life is infectious. If I didn't love reading and writing so much, and didn't have to stagnate to do both, I'd be right there with them ... but hey, I knew the consequences of my actions when I had my boy. I just hope that Lydia - and Jess - have fun when they go travelling. And a stick of rock is an excellent way to say 'we miss you homebody' ...

Oh, another thing I like about Lydia is that she's really patient. If I'm in a pissy mood (which is pretty frequent, but less so now another manager has transferred out, since we used to clash ALL the time) she'll sit there talking me into a calmer mood. It doesn't take long. Like I said, Lydia's magic.

And just for you Lydia, since I pay attention: Carpe Diem!