Sitting somewhere at the back, nodding off,

As someone drones about the targets,

Were they met or were they just a stretch too far?

And do we need to reassess

Something just a pointless as the drivel

Pouring from her mouth?

But then the door slides wide

And gliding in comes tea and biscuits,

Coffee pots and fresh skimmed milk,

An instant hit of caffeine to

Pull us through this final hour.

How can such a simple trolley

Wheeled in by an aging lady,

Creaking under expectation;

The room held on a sharp knife’s edge

As every man and woman waits

For one to break the stand off for

That all important first of cups.

Please, someone go,

I need a cup to save me from

The depths of sleep that threaten to

Swallow up the memories of this time.

I had a very long day today. And it ended with a two hour Zoom call to go through all of the admin stuff surrounding the start of our Early Career Teacher programme. It was torturous.

However, when I was getting really worried that I would completely embarrass myself by falling asleep, surrounded by all my colleagues, the facilitator wheeled in a trolley full of tea, coffee and biscuits.

You could visibly see everybody perk up, just seeing the caffeine and sugar that was soon to be consumed. The thing that made me chuckle was the fact that everyone hesitated. Who was going to be the first to actually get up and dig in?

Of course, it ended up being me because, apparently, I have no shame. I also had no idea how to get the hot water or the milk out of their jugs so I made a complete fool out of myself.

But, it just made me think how such small things can bring so much joy and I want to make an effort to notice these things. There has to be one good thing in every day, even if it is just a little packet of chocolate bourbons and a paper cup full of instant coffee.

Much Love

Rachel xx