May 19, 2008

Chance and Circumstance

Some days just start out wrong. Friday was that way for us. We went here and there and everywhere but nothing was working out. For example, at the township offices we found out that you can only get dog licenses there January through March. After that, you have to go downtown to the county building. Little Levi is still not legal. Seven stops that day and none of them worked out including the place where we wanted to eat lunch was closed under unusual circumstances.

Having our appointed rounds of errands go off into never-never land it was time for a decision. 1) We could go home grumpy and out of sorts because we'd have to spend another day in do-overs; or 2) we could declare a vacation day and go home after doing something fun. We picked door number two and went to a small town museum that by rare coincidence happened to be open that day. We've wanted to go to that museum for three years but they're only open by chance and circumstances like days when the town is celebrating something special. Bingo! Our chance we had come to tour the place and by the circumstances of everything else going wrong, we had extra time on our hands to do just that.

Life is that way sometimes. You plan. You hope. You take the steps needed to get you where you want to go and a gutter ball goes down the lane leaving all your pins still standing. Those are the times when I ask myself my favorite coping question: "Is this a disaster or an inconvenience?" Sure, it's awesome when things go just right and all your metaphorical pins go down in one powerful smack of the ball. It's almost as satisfying when it takes a second ball to get the job done. But I'll let you in on a little secret: if you live life without keeping score, you can still feel good about the gutter balls of life, about changing directions in the middle of the stream. Yes, it would have been nice to get all our errands done on Friday but if we had, we would have missed out on our impromptu mini vacation and going home feeling like we'd scored a happy memory instead of going home grumpy. ©
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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

You got that right, Jean. Glad you found the fun in your day and built a memory or two. And until Levi is legal, you can still hide him in your pocket.

Anonymous said...

Jean:

I sometimes have to remind myself constantly something good is ging to come out of this disappointent. & it ususally does. I am glad you had great mini vacation.
Asha

Dewey Dewster said...

Jean,
You sound like a very level-headed person who has a very demanding job as a caregiver. My Dad had a debilitating stroke when he was 52..he never recovered from it and died 3 1/2 years later. I am sure you will get Levi his needed license.....somehow I don't think either you or Levi will be arrested....thanks for stopping by the dogs blog. I enjoyed reading your diary and will hopefully be able to stop back again. Being a caretaker can be both rewarding and frustrating...hopefully you get some time for yourself.

Nancy, Dewey Dewster's Gram

BookingAlong said...

Absolutely right about your outlook! We're nearing the end of the school year here and I'm tired. So even though homework loomed and I'm usually obsessive about my son's homework, I said, "The heck with it" and we took the day off. One day won't sink his grades but it sure helped keep a stressful day seem better. I still have sore shins from my encounters with someone getting used to an (electric) wheelchair. Plus one teen clumping around on crutches. But at least I got my dose of Riva therapy.

BookingAlong said...

Just checking in again to let you know I read this again when I felt my brain cells were able to appreciate it better. Jean, you should publish a book!