Well, well, well. It really is happening. I've got my first speaking gig. ME!
Now, I know I have absolutely no problem talking, but talking in front of a room full of people? That's a different matter altogether!
Presenting my radio show is one thing, but standing up in front of an audience is quite another. Still, it's rather nice to be starting somewhere familiar – my local library, where I actually wrote much of the first draft of my book.
I guess you have to start somewhere!
So, if any of you live locally and fancy coming along, do get in touch with the library to book your place. All the details are on the poster.
And talking of everyday experiences, do you ever find yourself pondering the most ordinary situations and suddenly smiling or giggling to yourself? You know, those little moments when you think, "Is it just me, or is this completely ridiculous?"
Or is it just me?
Anyway, here's one such experience…
THE TRIALS OF THE MEDICAL CENTRE WAITING ROOM.
What is it about the waiting room in a medical centre? Not necessarily a specific one; it is probably the same everywhere. I'm sure they all belong to a massive WhatsApp group of Practice Managers.
If you manage to secure a hallowed appointment (by the way, I could give you some free training in that regard if you want to use an online bot request form), you get yourself to the medical centre.
First, you drive round and round trying to find a parking space. There's no such thing as a disabled parking spot, and even if there were, they would all be full of Blue Badge holders – of course!
You walk in and join the queue to punch your DOB, first name and last name into the check-in panel, trying three times to remember the correct order for date/month/year. Eventually, you take a seat.
If you're unlucky enough to mess up the check-in, you have to join another queue behind a rope (for privacy reasons??).
How can a rope possibly provide privacy? I ponder this whilst shifting from foot to foot, as the person in front has decided to register as a new patient with the one receptionist who also has to answer the phone and deal with patients who have been sent to book a blood test or something by the doctor they've just seen.
As someone with mobility issues, I have a dilemma. I need to sit down, but I also need to check in.
Ten minutes pass. The queue behind me is growing, and there are people who look even more in need of a seat than I am. By now, I'm having to lift one foot off the ground at a time and hope I don't fall over.
The radio is playing – our local radio station, so at least the atmosphere is jolly.
I finally get checked in. Just in time, too, because I was about to give up and go and sit down.
And guess what? The local radio station, on which I present the Sunday Brunch Show, is actually playing my promo!
"…Join me, Juanita Hughes, on Sundays…"
At exactly that moment, the nurse appears and shouts, "Juanita Hughes!"
I acknowledge her and scurry down the corridor.
WHAT CHANCE!!!???
