No, I am not trying to remind you all of the date – just that I only realised today what date it is. 6 years ago on this date I started with Save the Children in Somalia – my first job with a major NGO in East Africa (or, in fact, the entire continent of Africa). A couple of you are to blame for that ;-). And 7th February 30 years ago I got clean in a cold, large treatment centre in Wiltshire. And today I leave Jordan. February is clearly the month of change in my life!

I feel really good today. In fact, I am almost buzzing. So glad that I am emotionally stable… Joking aside, I feel good because of all the love and support I have around me. That sounds like a cliche, but yesterday was incredible in terms of the help to shift me back to a place of positivity – no small feat as the meeting I had with work people was awful.

In summary, I was crying in the lobby of the hotel as I was told that I should take 2 weeks leave because I obviously needed it (i.e. weren’t they great) and that after that it was unlikely I would have a job anymore. And would I be able to relax and enjoy my sick leave…. I laid it out, pointed out I felt like I was begging for my job which was humiliating, and that I have cancer with surgery and radiation ahead leaving  me pretty much unable to find work and/or travel until it is over.

But, it has apparently shifted this morning and they may be able to honour my contract to the end of May, UK based.

However, that is not why I feel good this morning – I have been awake since 4am and felt so incredibly grateful for The Man, for all of you, for those of you yesterday who reached out to me with offers of help, with kind words, with thoughts. And I was back in myself. Before I saw that work may be able to honour my contract. I feel empowered again, I feel loved, I feel that I will continue to recover from cancer, I feel so happy I am getting the fuck out of here and I am back to feeling like I can do this. Whatever this is. And excited about a new start – embracing change instead of being scared of it.