I had one of those woke-up-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-bed days this past Thursday. Things just wouldn’t function. Drawers wouldn’t close properly. My computer was PMSing. A client showed up without a reservation. “Surprise! We’re here!”
When I got home at 6:30pm, I was ready to put the day behind me. That’s when I noticed; my sweater was inside out. Yes. I had worn my sweater inside out the entire day and no one had bothered to tell me.
Of course all of the people with whom I corresponded didn’t see it. And granted, I did have my jacket on over my sweater for the first half of the day. But the second half . . . did they really not notice those seams sticking up on my shoulders? The washing instructions tag near my right side? That tag on my back? Or were they too embarrassed to tell me?
In retrospect, the day before was great. The day after was also a fantastic day–went off without a hitch.
So what is going on with the universe? Do you have to sacrifice a day in order for the others to go swimmingly well? Was my inside-out sweater my sacrificial lamb to the God of Bad Days? And seriously. How bad of a day did I really have? I’m healthy, unscathed. No one I love is in danger. In fact, if I just think about it in terms of the greater world–about what a true bad day means–then this whole post is just the drivel of a privileged individual who has lost perspective.
That didn’t stop me from sharing my sweater story with a fellow work out partner during Cora’s Bootcamp this morning.
“I had my bad day on Friday,” she shared with me. She was working in a new city and was stuck in traffic for an hour and a half. She couldn’t find a parking spot so she parked in a garage. When she got off work, the garage was closed and she couldn’t get her car, or her suitcase. She had to take the train back to her hotel–no change of clothes, no toothbrush. Plus, she had to get up extra early to get to the parking garage.
“Okay. Now that’s a bad day!” I sympathized.
“Well. Not really,” she went on. “Ends up the parking garage was like 18 euro less than the hotel parking. So it was actually a good thing.”
Sleeping in your work shirt and using chewing gum for a toothbrush was a good thing? Now I thought I was an optimist. The God of Bad Days has no sacrificial lambs or inside-out sweaters needed. It’s all about perspective!
I had to work on my day off, today, and I don’t get paid for over time. I’m sure there’s something good in there. I just need a little more time to think it through.
kristininholland 
Life’s mini tragedies! At least they give us something to talk about. (And write about.) And I don’t think all the suffering around the world makes them less-worthy of attention.
I moved from USA to Netherlands and am seeking for a place to file the US taxes? If you know anyone who can help me with taxes? Your help would be appreciated
Two years too late with my reply! I ran up against this same problem. I even approached the local tax offices and was referred to Nijmegen, or another office and after many calls, discovered that the US consulate doesn’t give tax help referrals. I filed online using turbo tax for a few years and H&R block’s free app later. I trust you found a better solution in the meantime?