Terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
My artist friend Liz creates magnificent cards of her own design and sends them in beautifully decorated glassine paper envelopes. They always cheer me up. (Plus, her handwriting is amazing. It is art too!)
Years ago, she and I were having a bad day at work and she created a different kind of card highlighting the character from one of our favorite books, "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" by Judith Viorst. So, it wasn't an original design, but it summed up how we felt about some folks who we wanted to send a card to on our terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
After A was rear-ended in the new/used Outback this morning on the way to work... (She didn't even brake. Thank goodness that Outbacks are built like tanks and no one was hurt.)
After a night of no sleep when I already felt pretty grouchy and Dave the Cat graced us with a hairball in the back room...
After multiple panicked notes...is it really Milk Paint? Or some kind of gooey, viscous old lead paint that had been made with Linseed Oil? (Thank goodness for disposable clothing, HEPA filters, heavy plastic sheeting, regulation face masks and such...regardless, the damage will have been super minimal so far but is enough to make me cower under the bed.)
After STILL calling around about low income housing for this nice woman we are trying to find housing for and finding that Section 8 housing has a closed waiting list, she is three years too young to qualify for any senior housing/benefits, yada yada yada...and getting nowhere fast with deadlines looming...
And...after our kind, brilliant and lovely neighbor passed away this afternoon which left me dissolved in tears even though I didn't know them very well yet...I've met and talked to his wife and she is a magnificent woman. They go to our church. Grace is the epitome of grace here on earth.
...I am left blurry-eyed and tongue-tied...trying to feel my way along tonight and not doing a very good job of acting brave or normal.
I'm sure everyone has days where they want to move to Australia with Alexander. Today was one of them.
p.s. I just woke up in my chair at the computer in the middle of the night after writing this. I'll post it and correct the mistakes later. I'm going to bed. Under the bed.
Looking for More?
| Search for more on 'home improvement stress' on this site. |
| Search for 'home improvement stress' on on other houseblogs like this one. |
| Search for 'home improvement stress' on Google. |
| Search for 'home improvement stress' on Amazon.com. |
Cabinet Refacing:
Face Your Kitchen | Your Guide to Kitchen Cabinet Refacing |
Comments
I hope you will not bother trying to act brave or normal. Show yourself as much compassion as you'd show someone else. And, don't sleep under the bed - the bed itself is probably more comfy for a sad and stressed person. :-)
Posted by: Fran | March 23, 2004 9:34 PM
Am horribly sorry that your stress level is so high right now, with your good common sense I know that you will work through this.
I just thought of a very bright idea {blink} because things are so stressed right now and half the stress is related to financing the house you should approach a publisher with rights to your novel, that is right, YOUR NOVEL. If they make movies out of life stories, and they do, yours would really sell. This is not a magazine type life you are living it is a full novel. You make every character come alive and you have such interesting ways of describing everything that any reader would love your story, dont feel up to writing it get a ghost writer. Talk it into a voice recorder, send the files to me and I will transcribe them for you, at a cost of course but the publisher would pay you, anyway just thought I would throw this novel--pun intended--idea your way.
Take a few days to get your feet back under you and onward you will go.
Posted by: Ginny | March 23, 2004 11:47 PM
Wow! You guys are incredibly sweet :) Part of my stress is about financing the house, this is true.
But most of it is related to finding this lovely woman a place to live within her means. I am aching to take her in but it isn't going to happen. She is kind of freaked out by the construction, strange men all around, the chaos, the dirt, etc. And honestly, who could blame her? And, gosh I love him, but Dave the Cat would not rest until he had eaten her little Lovebirds...he's a cat. He's not a saintly cat either.
A novel :) It is a novel idea and even I know a novel needs a satisfying ending. Strangely, i don't know if we have even built up to the climax yet. But Ginny, don't think I won't consider your offer someday! 'Cause this house will either be going up or falling down :) Either way...what a smasher, eh?
Peace * love to all...all who posted and also sent emails with support.
Now excuse me as I try to extricate Dave from my midnight snack.
Posted by: jmo | March 24, 2004 12:37 AM
Oh, bummer! That really sucks, I'm sorry. It's just not fair when life piles on like that.
Posted by: Lisa Williams | March 24, 2004 11:45 PM