Day 4 - 321 -- Plans Gone Sideways

The universe had plans other than what I'd set out for my day. I got to eat part of my lunch during a seminar presentation but didn't get to the rest until almost supper time. I taught for two hours from noon onward. I had a medical appointment shortly after classes ended so I left and headed straight there. Reception had told me that the MD usually left early on Friday, so I was assured this would be doable. On other days he is often well behind scheduled appointment times -- but no one is ever rushed and some days something complex walks through the door. When I arrived I was told there were three people ahead of me. I headed to the grocery store in the same building to get the bagels they didn't seem to have when I shopped after the long weekend. I picked up two packages that were on sale and headed to the checkout. Every open register had three or more customers waiting, most with overflowing carts. I chose one that looked the most promising -- one being rung through and a smaller order behind them and then me. As the couple with the huge load came to pay, the register went off line. It seemed the cashier had no idea what to do. At that point, it had been about 30 minutes so I left my bagels with customer service and headed back to the MD. An hour later when the fifth person went in -- there were only 3 ahead of me when I arrived -- I went to the desk and found there were two still ahead of me. So -- not sure where the counting error occurred, but I had to be back to meet with students just after 4 PM. I have another appointment for next week. Nothing was a rush, so it will all work out.

I was surprised that with my major fatigue I maintained a sense of calm throughout the silliness. It really seemed that I wasn't meant to see the MD or have bagels for the weekend <smile> -- both small things today. The late Friday meeting with students went very well and I got to eat a bit more of my lunch. It was full on dark when I left the building. The street had some ongoing construction and two west-bound lanes had been reduced to one. Driving through the bright orange pylons was like running an obstacle course in the dark with bright lights being flashed in your face. That was the metaphor for the day <smile>.

A song came to mind with lyrics that speak to kindness. The melody has a calming feel to it, which reflected what I felt as the many plans went awry today. The selection is one of my favourites from a band from my youth. Enjoy!

For Pete's Sake -- The Monkees