It all started last night when I dyed my hair almost black. It would have been fine if I had meant to do that... but I didn't. My hair turned out so much darker than the color on the box that I swear some bored high school student must have switched a couple of hair dye bottles in the store. Haha. Funny joke little student. Only I'm not laughing.
It's a 28 wash sort of hair dye so I'm sure it will fade.
Eventually.
Then this morning, this is what greeted me.
Half eaten nasty cockroach with it's legs stretched out in some sort of weird death posture!! EEK!
While I happily snapped it's picture and relished the idea of putting it on instagram, facebook and my blog for all to see and be grossed out, I was oblivious that I had dropped my newly purchased (and not exactly cheap) headphones.
See, a week ago, I accidentally threw out my old headphones when they fell in the trash and got covered up by other stuff. At least that's my theory. Either that or there's a tiny headphone elf that visits people (like the tooth fairy) and steals their headphones. I was convinced they'd turn up somewhere because I rarely lose stuff like that, but they never did.
So today when I discovered that my headphones had gone missing AGAIN I shook my fist at that little elf and went on a rampage to strangle it, or find and recover my headphones. The good news I found my headphones....
Eventually.
The were found by someone near a particular dead cockroach.
Okay. Losing your headphones isn't that big of a deal, but it sort of seemed like one at the time.
A few hours later I struggled through the crowded cafeteria lunch line like a fish swimming upstream and finally made it to an empty seat, food and tray and drink in hand. I slid the tray on the table and then dropped my heavy computer bag on the chair while I was pulling it out, so I could sit.
Cue slow motion.
Instead of my bag dropping nicely onto the chair like it was supposed to, it hit the corner of the tray that was dangling over the edge and launched my food, drink, cup and plate up into the air. My lunch hovered at its apex for a few seconds, orbiting in empty space and looking mysteriously delicious as it did. And then fell to the floor.
I stared at the mess. Everybody stared at it. It was a delightful moment that could only be appreciated with a heavy dose of sarcasm. Great. Wonderful. Just my luck. Of course it happens to me and in front of everyone.
I wandered off to find a broom.....
Two hours later the clerk at the store was checking me out (as in checking my groceries out) when I remembered I wanted to eat ice cream (ice creams makes any day better). I handed ten bucks to my friend, told him to pay while I dashed off to find my creamy, delicious drug of choice.
When I came back my friend handed the money back saying it wasn't enough. Enduring heavy glares from the other shoppers in line, I guiltily added my ice cream to my pile of purchases and dug in my purse for more money.
No, I did not run out of money; that would be the epic ending to this story, but my debit card saved the day. No, what happened was that as I handed the clerk my little plastic card I accidentally turned my wallet upside down and emptied it's contents onto the floor. All those coins I had been saving up to do my laundry rolled everywhere.
Everywhere.
In all directions.
I don't know if I found them all.
Everything about today was sort of fraying at the seams. Unraveling. Thinning. Stretching. Nothing that happened was really major but it's the fact that it kept happening that bothered me. I didn't trust myself not to create disasters everywhere I went.
The good news is that the next place I went was the beach where I did absolutely nothing for a few hours and collected my wits. While I was lying in the sun, listening to the waves crash and doing homework, I saw a coconut wearing sunglasses.
My day immediately improved. I don't know what it was about the coconut (I named her Violet) but there's a hopeful, expectant innocence on her face, like she's seeing something so compelling and amazing that she can't help but look upwards toward it with her entire body.
Then I imagined that she was looking into my tomorrow and seeing something really great waiting for me there. It made me smile. It made me hope and I relaxed ever so slightly.
Yes. Perspective. Today wasn't the end of everything; it's just a moment called now and it will grow, develop and change. There are great things, hard things and possibly delicious things in store for me. And eventually, when tomorrow becomes now and now is yesterday things will be better.
I took a deep breath, giggled at Violet and her silliness, and my day has been much better ever since.
1 comment:
Ohmy. I love this!! We all have days like this. And the humor in them usually isn't discovered until there is at least a few days space between you and that day. But look - you found joy on the same day! I could hear you telling the story in my head, and when your tray flipped up in the air, I watched it fall. If I were with you, there wouldn't have been such a big mess, because half of it probably would have landed on me. Then we could both be laughing/crying about it.
imissyoualready.
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