Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro: 26oC, warm, sunny, and slightly overcast.
Tuesday was a Tuesday of surprises. First, I exercised, had coffee, and took a shower, and everything was going well. I was ready to begin teaching classes when I received a message from Katia, the flat’s owner, asking me if I was going to leave that day.
The month before, we had arranged for me to leave the first weekend of May or the first weekend after Labor Day, to be more exact. So, when I received the message, I was a little shocked, to say the least.
I immediately sent her a message informing her that I would be leaving the coming weekend, as arranged. She instantly called me, saying that I would have to move today. I told her it was impossible and it was not what we had arranged last month.
When I became more incisive about what we had arranged and that I was still not ready as I was still organising my things, she consequently asked me if she could leave some of her things, some stuff, in the flat. The truth is that she was not asking but telling me, and how could I refuse the hypocrisy of the situation?
She turned up at about 11 am with a load of furniture and stuff that was left in the living room. She also told me that she had arranged with the porter to take the fridge, the stove, and the washing machine later on the same day.
I do not know if this was a way of forcing me out, trying to make me feel uncomfortable there, or she had just decided to do this without thinking about the consequences, or just plain stupid, giving little thought to me needing these things during the last couple of days. I know Katia very well, and I like her very much.
However, it is undeniable that she can be espaçosa, which means that she can be inconsiderate and selfish when it comes to her own needs first, sometimes at the expense of others. One thing that I had learnt from my father was integrity.
My word is my bond, and if I give my word to you or something, I will honour it to the best of my ability.
Brazil is experiencing a lot of political and economic turmoil, and I have noticed that many powerful people in high positions do not have any integrity at all; their words don’t mean anything, and that is a lot to the millions of less fortunate people who depend on them.
What is it with power, and how does it turn people into selfish, sly, manipulative worms that feed off the state and others? Those in high places who do not have any or extraordinarily little honour.
As most of my time is in my bedroom because my home office set up, desk, etc, is there and I am on my way out, another page of my life is being turned over. I do not really care about the living room being a mess, nor the porter coming and taking the stove, fridge and washing machine.
What I do care about is people being stingy, inconsiderate, mean and niggly about stupid non-important things. I am better than that! Another lesson from this is that nothing is forever, both good and bad. Today, we are good; tomorrow, we are not, and vice versa.
IT IS ALL TEMPORARY!!!
After the small confusion, the rest of the day was destined to work, making money and some good reading.
Thank you very much.
Thanks for reading my blog. Check out my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments.
Richard
