Perspective…

Ever have those days when you’re just wishing for the day to come to an end… and your thought is “I never wish to repeat today as long as I live…”?  Well, today was one of those days for me… I hate having this yucky feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Today started out with lots of excitement, everything was perfectly planned and on schedule… until one thing that didn’t go according to the plan, and then… domino effect… uuuggghhh… We had a 5 pm deadline, and it quickly became 4 pm.  My business partner, Jackie, and I had driven all over town, trying to find the exact items that we needed because our supplier had changed his inventory, and he no longer carried the exact items we needed… We called the distribution center in a panic… and given the short notice, there was absolutely NO WAY that we were going to deliver what we had planned by 5 pm… It was time to get creative.  In movies, this works out perfectly despite everything that goes wrong… and the fantasy in me is thinking that everything will come together.  4:15 pm, and the reality started to set in… I felt panic and sweat running all throughout my body.  Out of pure desperation, we made our final stop at a craft store, and we bought ribbons, scissors, and few other things to make it work somehow (I’m sure if McGyver was here, he’d come up with something better).  We finally made it to our destination, and it was far from perfection, but somehow we were able to pull it off (although I don’t know how happy our clients were).   Although things kinda worked out, I really hate not being able to deliver what we had originally promised… and I still can’t get rid of that yucky feeling in my stomach… I HATE that feeling!!!  I HATE feeling deflated!!!

Jackie and I just needed to sit, get a cold drink, eat, and wallow in our sorrow… and eventually laugh as we realize that this is just another learning experience… until the phone rang.  Her ailing mother had just fallen and was being taken to the emergency room.  Once again, in panic, we quickly paid our bill, and head back to pick up her car.  In a hurry, she apparently opened my car door so fast that it made contact with the car next to mine… The owner of the car came out, and she was not happy… At that point, Jackie explained that we had to go to the ER to see her mom… and the owner of the car just said “be careful next time.”  We drove back as fast as we could… and during that time, we heard back that her mom was okay and will be treated for her open wound.  There was just silence in the car… and then we both broke out into laughter!

Today was such a dramatic, emotional day… and the phone call about Jackie’s mom immediately made us forget everything else… all other things felt so petty.  When I got home, I started thinking about how I let little things get to me all the time… I’m learning to laugh things off in life.  But sometimes when I’m in a state of panic, I let it get the worst of me.  Everyday, I’m learning to put my life into perspective… and to see the bigger picture… It’s a challenge.  I still have that yucky feeling in my stomach although today is almost over.  But it’s a lesson that never gets old…