Do you ever judge the success of a day according to how a piece of food lands? A buttered piece of bread say, or a segment of lime you’ve just cut. If it lands cut-side down, then the day may not be going so well. Yesterday was one of those days. I know we all have days like this. I certainly do. Thankfully not every day. Thankfully, they pass and I get to climb into bed in the belief that tomorrow will probably be a smidge better.
I get out of bed at 6am. Off to a good start. Boom!
Hop in the shower to find myself soaked in cold water.
GAH! WTF? No time to feel sorry for myself. A quick wash later and I’m wrapped in a warm towel.
Drop my injured husband (who therefore cannot cycle) to work at bleary o’clock to avoid rush hour traffic. Drive to toyota dealer to have car serviced. Drive past entrance and find myself on the road to Derry. Crap.
Find my way back to toyota dealer. Find entrance. Very pleased with myself. Today is going to be a good day.
Do some work, hunched over my laptop in their crummy coffee dock. Have brought my own tea bags, go me! Today is going to be a good day.
2 hours later, lovely friendly service man sits down beside me to break the bad news. Rear brake discs need to be replaced. Oh and the brake pads. Also the pollen filter. That’ll be €384 in addition to the service fee of €165. Crap. Maybe today is not such a good day after all.
Crap.
Elect to spend the next 2 hours in a local crummy shopping centre, to find a cafe with tables, where I can work. Borrow an umbrella. A broken umbrella. Stab my finger with broken metal umbrella parts. Ouch.
Embarrassed service man throws umbrella in the bin and gives me a gift of a massive golf umbrella, emblazoned with their logo. ‘That’s for you love.’
‘I’ll advertise you wherever I go’ I reply.
90 minutes later, friendly service man calls me. Bad news. Rubber boot that protects caliper is torn. Another €90. It has to be replaced or dirt & water will get in, damage caliper. €400 to replace damaged caliper.
Oh sweet divine, does it ever end? This car has a classier wardrobe than I do!
…and on and on and on…
It’s 7pm. I decide to have a gin & tonic. The lime lands cut-side down. Seriously? Does it ever stop?
I sit down to write this blog post, thinking, surely…surely I can find a lesson in all of this.
The lesson?
There’s more than one…
- Laugh when your day doesn’t go to plan. It will happen. Laughing helps to let go of your attachment to how things are supposed to be. Do it, even if you feel like you can’t. Or cry. Crying is a wonderful release, who cares if it’s over a broken brake disc?
- Appreciate the fact that your expectation of how things are supposed to be is something you have created. Whether it’s the results to some blood tests or the amount of work you’re going to get done today. Take responsibility for that expectation. You actually get to choose how you respond to circumstance.
- Be kind to yourself. Notice the voice in your head. Is it berating you? Is it shaming you? If it is, pause and smile at it. Say to yourself, ‘No self injury today, or ever.’
- Be prepared to rethink your dreams. Things will not turn out the way you expected or planned. Consider the gifts that might be coming from the scenic route you’ve taken.
- Bake my brownies. Eat all of them, preferably in a room on your own, with the door locked, watching reruns of Greys Anatomy. Comfort yourself with the knowledge that they are super filling, full of healthy fats, fibre, magnesium…so you probably won’t be able to eat them all in one sitting.
- If all else fails, make yourself a stiff drink. Just try to save the slice of lime from falling cut-side down.
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