Some days I am so proud of myself that I cannot even believe I am so amazing! Other days I let myself down so badly that I cannot even imagine why you all love me so much.
Sunday was one of those days that I really saw the brightest parts of myself and my Southern bestie, Tommy told me I had been quite spectacular. He said, you know when you are on, the whole world around you runs smoother, but when you are not, you are dark and you suck everyone in like a black hole vortex.
I know all of this. I try so hard. Most of the time, I think I do pretty well, but some days, I am not so hot at being a good example of what we are capable of.
Sunday, I had this crazy lemony snickett sort-of day.
I was working on less than four hours sleep. I was at the bus stop by six fifteen in order to arrive for the second and last day of my DUI class. Now, DUI classes are not something you have allowance to be tardy for. Five minutes and they lock the door. Three hundred dollars and you reschedule and start over.
Six forty five and the bus had still not arrived. I called the bus information line. "There is no real time information available for your requested line." I pressed zero seeking an old fashioned solution. Nope! "Our administrative offices are now closed."
Oh-kay! Well, I cannot be late and considering most of my people just went to bed an hour or two ago, I have no one I could call to come and take me safely there. Well, the bike Paul and his wife bought for me to travel on will have to be the answer.
Fifteen miles and a little over an hour later, I have arrived to my DUI class. The original plan had included me sitting at Dunkin Donuts sipping coffee (I had therefore made none at home that morning) and writing the assigned report we were to do for homework! So, modified plan included me sitting at the picnic bench outside the building sans coffee writing the report. I am almost done with my assigned homework when Guy Un-Named comes up and lights up a cigarette directly across from me and blows his exhale in my face. I believe I failed to mention that I am suffering from the aftermath of my allergy to cigarettes from a prior occurence and this only serves to really piss me off!
So my hacking chest infection has me jump up from the bench with probable obsenities, and luckily I had just finished my assignment and had a few extra minutes to walk to Dunkin Donuts and get a morning cup of joe.
With just enough time, I arrive back at the class site. I speak to my instructor about the bus not arriving, my bike lock getting stuck in the Florida Winter Air, my riding my bike fifteen miles, and how much it truly meant to me to make all this work so I could be back on the road and have my life back!
My Instructor had me share my story with the class, impressed with the fact that he felt most people would have just gone back to bed...."Not I said the Christi."
So, along come our break and I walk to Dunkin Donuts to get an afternoon meal. I walk in the restroom to find my reflection in the mirror clearly stating that my uniform khaki's are covered in menstrual blood. YES~! Just what I always wanted to happen....
So, I take off my uniform shorts (have to go straight to work from class) and wash them out in the Dunkin Donuts bathroom....I attempt to dry them in the hand dryer but am unable to. Tommy has asked that I please return the jacket I borrowed from him today and luckily I have it with me. I tie it sideways on my waist covering the gi-normous wet spot on the front of my khaki shorts.
I walk back to class....
Class finishes, and I ride my bike to the terminal. My goal is to catch the trolley to work but of course I miss it by 32 seconds. I then ride about thirteen miles (please understand my bike has NO GEARS)...all the way to work.
I arrive at work almost twenty minutes late. Tommy has injured himself on a planter, and the fact that my quads are quivering ceases to matter. I jump in, true team member that I am, and take my tables, his tables, with no time to adjust for my exhausted body.
There is more, including a man telling me I DO NOT have a hearing impairment...to which I really wanted to respond CALL MY MOTHER!!!!
But, all in all, Tommy is taking me home (my bike in the back of his truck) after work and he tells me that he is proud of the sense of humor I maintained after such a crazy day and he hoped I was aware of the sway I held over my co-workers.
The next day, I did not do so well at keeping my sense of humor...but hey! I honestly give it my best shot. ALWAYS! Just hoping I can keep Center Calm more often every day.
Forward Momentum!
RA~in
