Battling the Monster

Greasy goodness in a bag

Some days should never be repeated, spoken of again, or even remembered anywhere at any time in the fullness of time. That was the kind of day I had yesterday.

The day started normally with an appointment but was interrupted by the freak opportunity of a conversation which turned into a -- not an argument but what I'd call a short hostile interlude. I'd be lying if I said I never have words with anyone -- hey, nobody's perfect -- but for whatever reason this little 10-minute episode totally knocked me for a loop and subsequently ruined my day. Now, being the positive person that I usually am, I firmly believe that you choose to be happy and that choice can turn a bad day around just by the sheer will to do so.

I never could seem to turn my day around. And I tried. Believe me, I really tried.

My first appointment was thwarted so I agreed to accompany the hubs to one of his appointments, after which we planned a lunch date. But as we got totally stranded for an entire hour on a highway in our community because of an accident, a kink was put into that plan as well. Now, I have great empathy usually for victims of car accidents and can patiently sit and wait until the road is cleared enough to pass. I would want others to do that for me. But at the risk of sounding disrespectful to our loyal officers in this county, there must've been an idiot controlling the traffic for this accident. We got within 50 feet of the intersection and could clearly see cars passing with ease from one street through the intersection to the other side, yet they WOULD NOT re-route cars to the side street. I have passed horrible accidents with fatalities where the authorities re-routed traffic like champs. Sheesh...I bet the traffic was backed up into the next county. We sat there for an entire hour and, for some reason, I was as impatient as I've ever seen myself. My day had gotten off to a rocky start, and it wasn't getting much better.

When the accident finally cleared, I was too irritated to have a social lunch and didn't want to burden my husband with the annoyance of my presence. Hey, I didn't even want to be around me but what was I to do about that? So hubby and I went our separate ways, and I opted for some retail therapy to see if that could improve my mood a bit (it usually does). My first stop was to eat, though. It was almost 3:00 pm and I had not eaten so that was probably part of my problem. I get grouchy when I don't eat. But, as is common for me to do when I am stressed or upset or irritated or -- well, you get it, I chose not very well I'll admit and surmised that surely some tasty fast food would comfort me. The image is proof that my choices were filled with flavor and short-lived comfort, but had little or no nutritional benefits. Nonetheless, I took out to the neighboring town to indulge in my retail therapy while chomping down. Just as I was biting into the greasiest crunchiest corndog I ever remember having, the traffic ahead of me backed up. You have got to be kidding me. But, much to my delight, it cleared after exactly three minutes and I was on my way. The shopping did help a bit. It took my mind off the terrible start to my day and I bought my little Preston a new outfit, which always brings me joy. Headed back home, I indulged in yet another pleasure -- ice cream! -- for the ride home. I don't know why, but eating while driving sometimes just feels right to me and brings me great contentment. I know it's a bad habit, but what can I say? Besides it was a vanilla cone and it could've been a triple-fudge sundae with nuts and whipped cream, right? So see there, I'm disciplined... sort of...

Much to my disappointment, I was just as ill-natured when I returned home. Even though my little escapade did help, I had not been able to completely shake the feeling of irritation and grouchiness that permeated through me. I felt doomed to a day of non-productivity, non-happiness, and total aggravation against my fellow man. My day was empty and filled only with feelings I wanted to shake, but I absolutely could not seem to do it. Even a late-evening walk in the park which usually clears my mind and gives me a clean slate to move forward did not dissipate my funk. Well, I'm sure it helped my body especially in light of the food I'd taken in but, as we headed home from the park, my heart felt just as heavy as it had the entire day. I flopped down in front of the television and distracted myself with a couple of episodes of Fixer Upper while I ate 10 Vanilla Oreos with a big glass of milk. Then I drug my limp, totally apathetic body to bed.

I know. I know. It's completely pathetic.

But thank God for a good night's sleep. Today is a new day. And I can look back on yesterday (just this once, though) and realize there were indeed things to be grateful for. It was a beautiful fall day, not a cloud in the sky and 70+ degrees with a gentle breeze. I was upright walking around and not six feet below the ground. I felt well physically and had no complaints in my body -- not even a belly ache from the atrocious food I'd consumed. My husband had given me tremendous grace over the course of the day, and my BFF gave me a pep talk complete with a few laughs, and that always helps. Laughter truly is the best medicine for whatever might be ailing you. So I guess in light of the way my day could have been, it wasn't as bad as it seemed at the time. And even though I will try to never speak of this horrible day again, I thought sharing with you might help you to remember that everyone has a bad day occasionally. 

Okay, I shared mainly because it really helped me.

BTW, I just remembered yesterday was a Monday, that was probably part of it! Also, there was probably some weird gravitational pull of the moon (hence, the short tempers). People were probably distracted because of the weather (hence, the traffic), and any time you suffer distraction while driving, it doesn't end well. Maybe the stars had lined up in some evil way that affects people on a Monday in the fall, I don't know. 

Looking back now, however, I can be thankful to have survived such a wicked day and I'm sure it will definitely not be the last bad day ever experienced by moi. It is my intention to make this day a happier, more contented, more productive one, and I hope yours is as well...

Happy Tuesday!  

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This morning's more healthful breakfast...redemption!