Little things

It seems that when life is at its darkest, we appreciate the little things that can change a day for the better. When stressing over covering the bills becomes an all-day thought that overrides good sense, even a small deposit gives relief... huge relief. In short, I'm relieved and so very grateful. Immediate bills will be covered and there's enough to get Jurgis a steak for his birthday. I read about this magic way of ensuring the perfect steak. We'll see if it works. Life's looking up.

*sigh* The old ducky next to me just had a fairly long conversation with me, but I didn't get a single word of it. Mumbling in one's own language is bad enough, but in another? I nod. I smile. I agree. Everyone likes to have someone agree with them, right?

So... I'm once again facing decisions. My day currently involves being out from 6am to 6 or 7pm, depending on traffic and transport. During this time, I will do an actual 3 or 4 hours teaching. I get home, spend a couple of hours preparing the next day's lessons, eat and go to bed. If all my students actually had all their classes, this wouldn't be a bad life, but reality is very different. We're past the first half of the month and my one student has had only one of her classes. Others have cancelled at least twice each. The days I don't teach, I simply don't get paid... regardless of the reason for the missed class. What was meant to be a really good month (it's long in business days, so more classes are scheduled) has turned into an economically 'stretched' month.

My decision now is whether to go back to advertising for students (in the hope of getting some decent 'regular' students), though in my area that only brings really basic students who end up needing a lot of Portuguese. On the other hand, there's the schools. I know I said I wouldn't teach at the schools again, but... never say 'never' and all that. Trouble is, pay isn't that good, though it comes with benefits and I can, if I work with a nearby school, cut out or at least cut down on my currently high transport costs. The schools also mean that I have less cancellations, though with the student body being as fickle as it is, that never quite gets ruled out.

Ah.... what to do?

But... today it's easy to be grateful. I'll just ignore the niggly prods of doubt that rear their vile little heads. I have options. That's a plus. I can cover the bills and stock the pantry. I should blog that 'pantry' sometime. The student I am currently waiting for seems to be a no-show, so I get to journal in the meantime. This job has it's advantages to be sure : ) I'm off to bed now. See you all on the flipside.