I stole that title from one of my favorite childhood books by Judith Viorst. Yesterday was just one of those days that hit me and knocked me flat. Kyle had taken a lot of time off work this week to be here when the contractors were working, so I took a turn and stayed home instead so he could get work done. This meant I turned down sub jobs so I could be here. I awoke bright and early to greet the contractors and while I waited I looked at our impossible budget and began paying bills. And I waited...and waited...and waited. By ten thirty no one had shown up and I finally called the company. Turned out it was a day when they were waiting on supplies and were not scheduled to come out. I was very frustrated at this point and told the polite woman at the company that we needed better communication in regards to this job. Little communication has taken place. No contract has been produced. It's all very chaotic.
As I grew steamier and steamier awaiting the no-shows, I also encountered an issue with a medical bill from months ago and spent thirty minutes on hold with the company only to talk to THE rudest customer service person. They denied everything that another rep had promised on the 13th of September when I called in regards to the same matter. This issue greatly affected my budget for the month and I grew more frustrated. Taking a year off of work to give myself some mental healing has put us in a very tight financial position.
Surprisingly, I simply burst into tears. I am not a big crier, but sometimes when I am overwhelmed and incensed, the tears surface. I was terribly frustrated. And I was terribly grumpy. My head felt as cluttered as my house is. The contents of our entire basement are crammed in the kitchen, living area and garage. I can't stand the chaos of it all.
When I get in one of my grumpy moods, it seems that every little incident adds fuel to the fire. A situation that would normally just irk me or even make me laugh cuts me to the core and I feel enraged. Perhaps I have an anger management problem. I certainly don't express anger very well. I needed postcard stamps, and I took a shot in the dark and asked the checker at Kroger if they have postcard stamps. He did not understand that there is a difference between "postcard" and "postage" stamps. I told him I needed the less expensive postcard stamps. He says, "Is there a difference?" "Yes," I informed him. He simply shrugged his shoulders and said "I have no idea." He didn't turn to the person next to him and ask, nor did he pick up the phone and ask a manager. He just looked at me as if I were the nutty one. So much for customer service.
None of these incidences in and of themselves is any sort of real crisis or problem, but added together and on top of life stresses that Kyle and I have encountered lately, they really overwhelmed me. Sometimes a good cry is all I really need, but sometimes I have to keep reminding myself that I am really so fortunate. I try to look at the flip side of each situation. For example, at least I have home owner's insurance that is making the basement repair possible. We couldn't have done this repair on our own. At least the issues with the bill are resolved. I finally paid it in full to just be done with it, and even though it meant cutting other important bills, it is completely taken care of now. And that inexperienced young checker who annoyed me - well, it's simply a test of my patience and understanding.
It is not easy to turn negative situations around and look at the positive, but it sure helps. It also helps to pick up my tattered copy of Viorsts' book and give myself a mini-vacation. And remember, it could always, always get worse, so just be glad it isn't.
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