There you are just going through life, nothing appears to be going your way, things appearing to be static, mundane, boring and nothing to really look forward to, then all of a sudden in a heart beat whilst you are lying on your bed feeling sorry for yourself, you get a WhatsApp message. As I reached for my glasses in order to pick up my phone and see who had contacted me, I saw that it was my friend Dragos, with a somewhat cryptic clue...
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| Love & Hope International Film Festival |
"Looks like you are Practicing your Spanish".
Huh!
This was then followed with two images and a brief explanation that Dragos had posted on Facebook.
As I read Dragos's messages it became clear that we had been officially selected to take part in the Love & Hope International Film Festival in Barcelona... Wow !
This was for the short documentary Dragos had shot, which portrayed part of my journey from taking ill in 1995 to overcoming some tough times and rediscovering my passion for cycling.
Once the excitement of the news wore off a little I immediately set about stressing. Why you may ask. Well if you follow my blog and stories you will know that of late I have been rather unwell. I have now been off work for going on 4 months, with a horrible disease called ulcerative colitis. I have only just been diagnosed and I am currently on treatment.
So my stressing started when Dragos asked " Have you got your passport"?
"Omg! Dragos actually would like me to attend the event in person" and spend sometime with him and other members of the team who made the film, as well as all the people who would attend the festival.
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| Love & Hope International Film Festival |
I informed Dragos "No I hadn't gotten around to sorting my passport", as we had discussed this months earlier, explaining I had taken unexpectedly ill. That said now that the treatment had kind of improved my symptoms I could look into getting my passport sorted. Dragos sent me a link to a dot Gov website to get my passport done urgently. I had a quick Scooby at the website then got off my bed, went and had a shower and a shave and tidied myself up. I then went immediately up to my local Post Office in Stanley to see if I could get a Passport sorted there quickly.
At the Post Office the staff were amazing, so very helpful. I explained the situation and was informed that if I got the passport done at the Post Office there would be no guarantee that the passport would arrive in time ( It had to arrive before the 17th September). I discussed the info I had read on the government website and the Post Mistress explained there was a Passport office in Durham and that I could make an appointment with it online to receive an urgent passport.
I asked would it be possible to have my identification photos taken at the Post Office, just I didn't want to risk taking them myself, and them not being approved. Again the staff were ever so helpful and did all the selection and button pressing of the Photo Booth machine. Thank god they were there as there was no way I could have done it myself, I am blind as a bat without my gigs on and after removing them I couldn't read any of the instructions and prompts. There was a little bit of a stressful moment as the photo machine wouldn't accept payment in coins, however it eventually accepted two £5 notes. Job done.
I returned home and began my application which was pretty straight forward. The passport cost just over £207 and I now have an appointment to attend the Passport office at Durham, I should then receive my passport one week later.
Following this I wanted to give my manager at work a ring. Again stress getting the better of me. I mean here I was in my mind planning a trip away, yet I was and have been on the sick for around 4 months. When I spoke to my manager she was very supportive asI explained my situation, letting her know that I would be returning to work before I planned to head off to Spain, asking would it be okay to put some Annual Leave in for the days off. There is no way I would have sneaked off on a quick holiday or get away whilst on the sick.
It's funny how my mam springs to mind whenever I am not feeling well. You see my mam was old school. When I was a child if I was sick and off school I was not allowed to go out and play. That was the rule and that rule has lived with me right until this day. So now that I am off work, regardless of what aliment I have I only ever go out unless it is absolutely necessary, like for hospital or doctor appointments. If you are too ill to goto work, you are too ill to be socialising or doing anything that involves being out and about rings in my ears in my mothers voice.
After speaking to my manager I felt a lot more relaxed not just about the trip, but also about moving forward in my return to work.
Next I got back in touch with Dragos with a quick message, Dragos then rang me and we had a back and forth conversation. From here things moved really quickly and before I knew it Dragos had arranged dates, booked flights and very kindly paid for them. I have to say I felt guilty about not paying my way. I am not used to such generosity and from day one of meeting Dragos he hasn't asked anything of me other than friendship and the opportunity to promote his work, which I am only to happy to do.
We now had an itinerary and plans for my visit to Spain, this involved Dragos meeting me once the plane landed in Alicante, driving to his villa in Valencia, a few days there, then a 3 hour drive to Barcelona for the film festival and time permitting some mountain bike riding back in Valencia, before flying back home. A lot to fill in in 4 to 5 days.
I am not well travelled, my last and only trip away was when I went to America, way back in 2013. This was an epic 3 week adventure where I had to wear my big boy pants and it really gave me a sense of independence and adventure, and now all these years later I have another opportunity, which I am both most grateful and feel very fortunate for.
Loosing my leg was a huge blow to me, however in hindsight in some bizarre and highly weird way it has been a ludriciously positive turn of events. I can honestly say if I had my own two legs I probably would never have travelled, and upon my life journey I would not have met some of the most amazing, friendly and supportive people around the world, who have gone on to inspire me.
I will make sure to blog of events upon my return, hopefully with some interesting pictures.
