I was late leaving for work today...you know the kind of morning I'm talking about, when the alarm malfunctions and the keys can't be found and the car windows are covered with dew or frost and have to be scraped clean before you can turn the ignition on. Today it was all three...plus a good measure of thick fog.
I knew I had the keys when I got home from the gym last night, took out the trash and laid down on the sofa to "rest my eyes" - of course when I woke up an hour later, and went to bed for real, I left the keys behind, cradled between seat cushions, and my son laid a blanket on top of them. So as I am leaving for work with moments to spare, the keys are no where to be found. Panic set in and it's old friend, frustration. I become reaquainted with a few words I would rather not have in my vocabulary as I search frantically for the keys...20 minutes later, there they are...in a place I searched three times before, but just failed to turn over that last fold of blanket.
I run for the door, only to find the windows on my car to be opaque with dew. I hurriedly grab a washcloth and wipe them down, throw everything in the car and take off...in pea soup fog. By this time I am seriously considering if this is a sign I should call in sick and spend the day in bed with the covers pulled solidly over my head so the day can't get in. I was frustrated, angry and disgruntled...
And then I reached the corner where I turn and stopped to clear traffic. I see a movement in the fog and wait to be sure I won't hit something or someone....but it's not a car at all. On this cold, foggy morning, a diminuitive pixie of a grandma came riding out of the haze on a vintage. sea green and white Schwinn bike, with a bike helmet and round, owl-like glasses...and she's smiling....beaming really....like a beacon in the fog.
I stare at her for the longest time....and she stared at me with her serene face and beautiful smile that crinkled the corners of her eyes and without even realizing it, I am smiling back...a big, genuine smile...I am sure I resembled a lantern in the fog. The anger and frustration disappeared in a wink and I am excited to be alive. With only a smile on her face, she changed my day. As she finally rode away, I'm sure I saw a trail of fairy dust sparkling in her wake.
And in that moment, I was truly convinced that just maybe there really is a fairy godmother lookng out for me...
I knew I had the keys when I got home from the gym last night, took out the trash and laid down on the sofa to "rest my eyes" - of course when I woke up an hour later, and went to bed for real, I left the keys behind, cradled between seat cushions, and my son laid a blanket on top of them. So as I am leaving for work with moments to spare, the keys are no where to be found. Panic set in and it's old friend, frustration. I become reaquainted with a few words I would rather not have in my vocabulary as I search frantically for the keys...20 minutes later, there they are...in a place I searched three times before, but just failed to turn over that last fold of blanket.
I run for the door, only to find the windows on my car to be opaque with dew. I hurriedly grab a washcloth and wipe them down, throw everything in the car and take off...in pea soup fog. By this time I am seriously considering if this is a sign I should call in sick and spend the day in bed with the covers pulled solidly over my head so the day can't get in. I was frustrated, angry and disgruntled...
And then I reached the corner where I turn and stopped to clear traffic. I see a movement in the fog and wait to be sure I won't hit something or someone....but it's not a car at all. On this cold, foggy morning, a diminuitive pixie of a grandma came riding out of the haze on a vintage. sea green and white Schwinn bike, with a bike helmet and round, owl-like glasses...and she's smiling....beaming really....like a beacon in the fog.
I stare at her for the longest time....and she stared at me with her serene face and beautiful smile that crinkled the corners of her eyes and without even realizing it, I am smiling back...a big, genuine smile...I am sure I resembled a lantern in the fog. The anger and frustration disappeared in a wink and I am excited to be alive. With only a smile on her face, she changed my day. As she finally rode away, I'm sure I saw a trail of fairy dust sparkling in her wake.
And in that moment, I was truly convinced that just maybe there really is a fairy godmother lookng out for me...
No comments:
Post a Comment