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Bad Days and Good Times

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Today I had a training seminar all day for my job.  I was actually looking forward to it because it was about a program I was interested in learning more about.  I was going with two of my favorite co-workers, and that just added to the excitement.  I woke up this morning feeling energized, rested and ready to go.  But when I walked into the media center where we would be training all day, there at our table sat one of the most obnoxious teachers that I work with.  Now, I try not to talk badly about people (especially on my blog!), but this woman just works every nerve and pushes every button I have.  The thought of spending the entire day with her in a small group setting was so disappointing.  But, what are you gonna do?  So, I pulled my chair up and tried to focus as much as I could on the things I was learning.  The day ended up being better than I expected, but it was still not the great day I had hoped for.

After that sort of ho-hum experience, I picked the kids up from daycare and then did what I swore I would never do again.  I took them grocery shopping at Target with me.  I couldn’t help it.  It was unavoidable.  We had a can of corn in the pantry and a pound of spoiled spinach in our fridge.  Times were tough, and desperate measures had to be taken.

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This time, though, the kids were excellent.  I brought them snacks, drinks, games, activities and stickers to keep them entertained, but we didn’t even really need them.  They were content to just talk to me while I shopped, and it was heavenly.

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So, we get to the check out line, and I am chatting it up with the cashier while I load my groceries on the belt and she rings them up. And it wasn’t until she told me my total that the cold panic washed over me.

I had left my wallet in my school bag.

I have been doing so good with the not switching purses/diaper bags/work bags around thing, but today I thought that I would just throw my wallet in my work bag to take to the training and I never got it out again when I got home and switched over to my purse.

I stood there like a goof, staring at the cashier helplessly. Finally, I asked her to just hold my bill and I would call my husband to come meet me with his wallet. Our house was further away than his office, so I thought it would save time for him to drop it by on his way home. Good plan, right? Well, it would have been up until the point where there was a major accident on the interstate that blocked Chris from getting to where I was. The only good news in all of this was that my day couldn’t get any worse.

For over an hour, the kids and I hung out at Target. The kids stuck stickers all over themselves, me and the very nice elderly security guard. We colored with markers. Gracie scribbled all over her hands before I could stop her. And then when I went to stop her, I sighed and thought, “Eh? Who cares?” and just let her go to town.

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Eventually, we got tired of standing with our full buggy of melting groceries, so we started venturing out and walking around the store. We tried on sunglasses. We picked out Valentine’s. We laid on inflatable mattresses. We rode bikes. We counted oranges. We modeled hats. We sniffed perfume.

We did all those things that we never have time to do when we’re in there on a grocery mission. And you know what? It was great! The perfect ending to a crappy day.

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Of course, the mad dinner rush when we finally made it home and everyone was starving sort of buzz-killed that good feeling – BUT IT WAS THERE, DARN IT! And I guess that’s what counts. At some point during our days (especially during the crappier ones), we should find happiness and joy in little things. And in little people.

12 Comments

  • Alaina

    You, my dear, are a saint for not flipping out. I’m not sure I would have been as cool and collected to think to call Tim in that situation.

  • Christy

    Living in the present and enjoying it is a challenge. I’m always thinking about something I should be doing, etc. but I need to remember that life is happening right now. I try to concentrate fully on one thing at a time. Good job on making the most of the situation!

  • Sara

    I so love to hang out in Target with my kids! It’s so much fun! Plus you get to look at all the neat stuff Target has! Glad your day turned around… and around lol!

  • Mae

    Oh you’re brave waiting it out! Glad the kids were well behaved! I would have been too afraid to wait after I learned about the accident. I’d have sent the groceries back (apologizing profusely), high tailed it to the nearest Chick Fil A, then come back later that night by myself!

  • Jen @ Ginger Guide

    Well I guess Target is the best place for this to happen. Sometimes I just go and look at every single department just because I can and it’s Target. But wow you have way more patience than I. I, like Nancy, would have just ordered takeout.

  • Stephanie

    So glad things turned out OK for you all. Here’s a tip incase it happens again…I was caught in that same situation at the grocery store one day and I called my husband on the phone and he read me a credit card number over the phone and a manager was able to manually enter it into the register and we were out of there in just minutes.

  • betty

    Whoa!!! It has been a while since I visit your blog Katie and the kids are so grown-up…..so joyous 🙂

    Now I know where you are coming from having to sit through a meeting/seminar with people you detested but it makes me hold my temper/patience for sure.

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