black cloud

Ever felt like you're having one of these days ...

Well, today was one such day for me ... it was almost laughable. The kind of day where every errand leads to more errands instead of a satisfying check off the ole' list. I had a compressed morning as it was - only 2 hours to spare and a to-do list a mile long. The bad luck started immediately ... grumbling girls, unpacked backpacks, karma was off for sure. I went to the 8am school assembly on the tip that my little ladybug was part of a presentation - but the presentation was rescheduled (20 minutes down the drain). Went to the local smaller grocery store to get bare essentials and save time - store doesn't stock 5 of the 7 items on my list. Went to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription - to my shock, it's $135 ... turns out our new plan has a deductible - a deductible that will reset in 6 weeks when the calendar year changes. Went to the bank to drop off mortgage refinancing paperwork - went to the wrong branch. Did I mention that it was also pouring rain with piping wind gusts this morning? It definitely added to the drama ...

So after driving to the correct branch, and thus getting one errand checked off my list, I came home to do things like call the insurance company to get to the bottom of the $135 charge and catch up on my volunteer work that's starting to slip behind schedule. Better to be safely at home than behind the wheel if my day was going in that direction, right? But when I went to pull the trash barrels and recycling bins out to the curb, I noticed that the trucks had already come. Six hours early. Really? Was there no end to the road blocks today? At that point, I was definitely tangled up in knots - frustrated, rain-soaked, and defeated.

Until I came inside, dried off, and sat down to reply to emails ... a new email had come in from a good friend - a high school friend who had not come to our recent reunion. I've had trouble connecting with her at length to find out the reason, she had been vague at the time and I had a feeling something more was up. Turns out she's having a lot more than just a bad morning ... her husband has cancer and their "dream house" (bought just 4 years ago with dreams of restoration and renovation) has turned into a money pit. They're now trying to sell the house for a considerable loss and her husband, though he has beaten the cancer, has fallen into depression - to the point where she couldn't leave to join us at the reunion.

Can you say reality check? Sure made me forget about the laughable drama I had experienced on one rainswept and down-on-my-luck morning. Mantra for the day ... Recognize your blessings and stop stressing ...