One of those days. . .

Warning: I was feeling a little long winded tonight. . . I apologize in advance. Word of advice. . . Just scroll to the last few paragraphs. . . I saved the best for last! :)

I recently had one of those days. . . You know the kind. . . Where you should probably stay home because your frustration has reached such a level, you nearly feel the need to yell at the man who is exiting the entrance at SAMs Club! Yes, exiting the entrance!

My day was a series of unfortunate events. It started when I headed to my new school with H in tow and my 30 minute drive took 70 minutes due to an accident. I was worried 30 minutes would be pushing it, but 70 was a disaster. . . Our wait, in the parking lot of cars stopped on the highway, involved me clapping and waving to Radio Disney in an attempt to distract my impatient toddler. I'm sure the trucker behind me thought I was high or something!

I transferred schools this year so I was on my new campus moving a few things and trying to arrange the furniture. I already told you I had my "helper" with me so you know it was a grueling process. Plus, it was like a thousand degrees outside and the AC in my classroom was smarter than me so we were working in the heat. Did I mention my room was upstairs on the far side of the building? After making 2 trips to the car and back. . . my makeup was melted, even my hat could no longer contain my hair and my clothes were glued to my body. I was praying no one would see me! I decided I had taken all I could stand so we headed out. At least the drive home was quick and the best part. . . H had fallen asleep. All I needed to do was get her inside and in bed.  Unfortunately, I arrived home to a mess from the dog inside and the 2 wild ones outside howling like coyotes. As you can imagine, the ruckus woke my sleeping baby.  I now had poop to clean up, barking dogs, and a screaming toddler. I decided to give up on the nap and brought H to play so I could clean.

I got everything settled and decided to make a few phone calls. The first was to try and get my badge changed to my new school. . . I was  informed, in a less than pleasant tone, that it would not be done until late August. Well that sure didn't go the way I had hoped. I decided to call the bank next to ask about a service charge I had noticed on my checking account. I called the local branch so I could speak with a live and local voice. . . This also didn't go as planned either. The personal banker told me she couldn't help me because she had no way to authenticate my identity over the phone. .  . However, she could give me the 1-800 number and they could assist me. . . So, you're telling me you are my personal banker working at the branch in my own town and you can not "authenticate" my identity, but. . . if call to speak to someone miles away in a different country they can? Well that makes perfect sense! I kept my cool by hanging up quickly before my thoughts turned into words. No sooner had I pressed end, the phone rang. It was my doctor, calling to cancel the appointment I had made 3 months ago because something had come up. . . Of course it had!

I was so done with the day I took to social media to gripe, something I try to never do! I angrily typed something about today not being my day. . .within 10 minutes, I deleted it. Everybody's got problems, who am I to complain on Facebook? I follow a rule whenever I post anything to social media. I always ask myself, why am I posting this? To complain? To brag? To make someone else feel bad? Unless my reason for posting is to simply share, then I don't hit the "post" button.

My mom arrived to my home and took on baby duty so I could head to the library to tutor a student. On the way there, a police officer followed me for at least 3 miles and I was certain he was going to pull me over and issue me a citation. . . I didn't think I was breaking any laws. . . But it seemed like the appropriate next event in my series of unfortunate events. At tutoring, I worked with my sweet girls and told them this hour was going to be the best part of my day. . . Judging by their expressions, I'm certain they thought I was crazy! After tutoring I headed to SAMs for the essentials. . . dog food, toilet paper, and wine. As I left, I had to stop at the snack bar for my obligatory coke Icee. Of course, I waited while the only person working made 3 pizzas before handing me a cup for my drink. . . Yep! Seems about right. While I was annoyed, something came out of nowhere and made me say with a smile, "Thanks! I appreciate your help."

On the way home from the store, I was reliving the events of my day, when it hit me. . . This was Pastor Robert's fault. . . I hope he doesn't read my blog - unlikely. He had given a message on Sunday about producing good fruit and essentially staying true to your beliefs during the struggles. As we left church on Sunday, I had told my parents I felt convicted during the message. . . Looking back, I think in that moment. . . God chuckled at me as he said, "let me show you convicted." Today was my "struggle" or rather "opportunity" to live out my faith. Yes, it was just a bad day. It wasn't the end of the world. My family was safe and healthy and everything would be just fine again tomorrow. . . But these are the days we were made for. We can all handle the good days. It's how we handle the days filled with little hiccups that really matter.  What were my reactions like to the moments of frustration? Did I show grace and love when it was needed?  How did I represent what I believe during the "struggle?"

I learned two things today. . . 1. I will NEVER again leave church claiming to feel convicted.  2. While my day didn't go as planned, there were still so many blessings. I may have been caught in traffic, but at least I wasn't the one in the accident. I might not be able to move into my classroom as quickly as I hoped, but I will get to spend extra time with my little one. I wasn't really feeling appreciation for my slow service, but I seemed to lift the spirits of the woman I spoke to.

I'm thankful days are short and we get to start over fresh each morning. Tomorrow. . . good day or bad day. . . Will be a blessing.