Once upon a time, closing in on 30 years ago, I got to live (aka work) in a beautiful castle.
With Cinderella work ethics I, together with my work folks at the Castle, toiled and toiled.
During that time I got to go to a ball every now and then and have a wonderful experience, chatted with a few fairy godmothers, made friends with some wonderful servants, avoided the basement creatures, had a few encounters with wicked stepmothers, bore witness to some skulduggery and at times, sweet magical moments appeared out of no where; but mostly I just worked.
Most of the work I loved; and well, like others, you made peace with cleaning the soot off the floor when it was needed.
All in all it has been a most wondrous three decades hold up each day inside the walls of that Castle of grandeur that sits atop of Confederation Hill. The castle was built by King Joey back in the ancient time of the sixties fresh off the time of the Confederation revolution when brave knights fought for union with the Land of Canada, while other honorable revolutionaries took up arms for the right to remain independent. Overlooking the Capital of St. Jean, the Castle is a splendid place to view the urban setting, but t'is rare you can spy beyond the overpass.
The castle has so many floors and chambers, it was impossible to get to them all but I managed to work on most levels. Each floor had its redemptions and new and engaging work; sometimes it was just reward enough to be in the medieval castle, no matter where I was dispatched. For it was the special and kindred peasants that inhabited the varied nooks and crannies of the Castle, including the Tower, that mattered the most and who fortified me through the years. Many were pure people of the land working hard and driven by a desire to make magic happen, others were lost souls unable to found their way out of the dark basement of their hearts. Sometimes, knights in shining amour showed up and a few times, black knights stomped through the hallways, rattling swords and instilling fear rather than hope, reminding everyone of their lot in life.
Especially pleasing, when one had the rare privilege to visit , was the exalted chamber, with its vaulted ceiling containing the Newfoundland and Labrador Coat of Arms in stained glass and ringed by portraits of former Speakers of the Assembly; and when in session the Chamber could be a bit rambunctious, but oh so exiting as it was the seat of the dear people of our strong and proud land.
This week, fate has intervened and I am assigned to a new work experience, and therefore, am exiting the Castle. I am filled with much trepidation and nostalgia. At my age, of course it is only fitting that I consider new tasks and new digs. And afterall, who needs the largesse and opulence of such a large Castle when the ways of youth have passed you by.
The decree has come for me to downsize to the West Block Condominiums, built in the times of Knight Peckford. Not the same splendor appearance, I do admit; but I am confident I will encounter creative and kind spirits who will work well and kindly for the Kingdom of Newfoundland and Labrador. Notwithstanding the rough times that have beset our Kingdom of late, there is an earnest desire by a majority of servants for the New Found Lande to flourish and to become the grand kingdom that we were fated to be since the Italian Prince Caboto landed on our shores many moons ago.
Still, this Cinderella public servant will always gaze wistfully at the Confederation Castle that kept her "clothed " and warm, physically and emotionally, for close to 30 years. She will remember the many Grand Kings she worked for, the friends made (some lifelong ones); and the magnificent moments that were woven through her heart and soul as she danced within the walls of that special Castle on the Hill in the Grand Land of Newfoundland.
#SpecialPlace #SpecialTimes
With Cinderella work ethics I, together with my work folks at the Castle, toiled and toiled.
During that time I got to go to a ball every now and then and have a wonderful experience, chatted with a few fairy godmothers, made friends with some wonderful servants, avoided the basement creatures, had a few encounters with wicked stepmothers, bore witness to some skulduggery and at times, sweet magical moments appeared out of no where; but mostly I just worked.
Most of the work I loved; and well, like others, you made peace with cleaning the soot off the floor when it was needed.
All in all it has been a most wondrous three decades hold up each day inside the walls of that Castle of grandeur that sits atop of Confederation Hill. The castle was built by King Joey back in the ancient time of the sixties fresh off the time of the Confederation revolution when brave knights fought for union with the Land of Canada, while other honorable revolutionaries took up arms for the right to remain independent. Overlooking the Capital of St. Jean, the Castle is a splendid place to view the urban setting, but t'is rare you can spy beyond the overpass.
The castle has so many floors and chambers, it was impossible to get to them all but I managed to work on most levels. Each floor had its redemptions and new and engaging work; sometimes it was just reward enough to be in the medieval castle, no matter where I was dispatched. For it was the special and kindred peasants that inhabited the varied nooks and crannies of the Castle, including the Tower, that mattered the most and who fortified me through the years. Many were pure people of the land working hard and driven by a desire to make magic happen, others were lost souls unable to found their way out of the dark basement of their hearts. Sometimes, knights in shining amour showed up and a few times, black knights stomped through the hallways, rattling swords and instilling fear rather than hope, reminding everyone of their lot in life.
Especially pleasing, when one had the rare privilege to visit , was the exalted chamber, with its vaulted ceiling containing the Newfoundland and Labrador Coat of Arms in stained glass and ringed by portraits of former Speakers of the Assembly; and when in session the Chamber could be a bit rambunctious, but oh so exiting as it was the seat of the dear people of our strong and proud land.
This week, fate has intervened and I am assigned to a new work experience, and therefore, am exiting the Castle. I am filled with much trepidation and nostalgia. At my age, of course it is only fitting that I consider new tasks and new digs. And afterall, who needs the largesse and opulence of such a large Castle when the ways of youth have passed you by.
The decree has come for me to downsize to the West Block Condominiums, built in the times of Knight Peckford. Not the same splendor appearance, I do admit; but I am confident I will encounter creative and kind spirits who will work well and kindly for the Kingdom of Newfoundland and Labrador. Notwithstanding the rough times that have beset our Kingdom of late, there is an earnest desire by a majority of servants for the New Found Lande to flourish and to become the grand kingdom that we were fated to be since the Italian Prince Caboto landed on our shores many moons ago.
Still, this Cinderella public servant will always gaze wistfully at the Confederation Castle that kept her "clothed " and warm, physically and emotionally, for close to 30 years. She will remember the many Grand Kings she worked for, the friends made (some lifelong ones); and the magnificent moments that were woven through her heart and soul as she danced within the walls of that special Castle on the Hill in the Grand Land of Newfoundland.
#SpecialPlace #SpecialTimes
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