Alexander was Right...

Today's blog post is not an adorable quip from one of my children. My sister is in town (YAY!) and they have played until they are way too tired, so both girls went to bed without saying a word other than, "Goodnight, Mommy..." A big part of my job as a speech therapist is social skills. Working with special education children, many of my students are somewhere on the Autism spectrum, and many of them don't understand social language. The curriculum that I use (which is fabulous and I buy into it whole-heartedly) has whole lessons centered on teaching the children to differentiate between a big problem and a small problem. This is a lesson that you think kids would just pick up, but this is not the case. Many of my children struggle with knowing what is something that warrants a small reaction, and what is something that warrants the huge explosions of behavior that we often see. Today, I'm pretty sure I had a day that warranted a big, huge explosion...luckily, I've worked through my curriculum a few times and know how to calm myself. And, I'm also lucky that I have great friends, coworkers, and dad to help me out of my messes. There is a book that I've read to my children (both my children by blood, and my little struggling social learners) called Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. This book is about a little boy who has the worst day ever. From the time he wakes up, until the time that he goes to bed, everything goes wrong. His solution throughout the book is that he needs to move to Australia. After today, I think that solution is perfect! From the time I woke up until the time I crawled into bed, things just kept going wrong. I had to take sick leave today for a doctor's appointment in Seattle. I got there early. The receptionist told me I'd get to go in early, but that didn't happen. The scale said I was heavier...impossible! The growth chart said I shrank an inch...what?! I went into my appointment with high hopes, only to have them dashed away by the end of the appointment. I felt like it was a waste of time...a waste of money...a waste of leave. I got to the ferry at 1:00...perfect! There was a 1:10 Bainbridge or a 1:30 Bremerton. I chose the Bainbridge...wrongly. Traffic was awful! Bumper to bumper going at a turtle's pace across the entire island. On my way off the island, my phone died. Then, I remembered that it was supposed to snow and I had stuff in my office at work for Christmas...and files to send...and my planner! Oh dear...off to school I went. I checked in at the party they were having, waving to my people, watched some gifts being opened, got much needed hugs from my favorite, and finally got in the truck for home. I got home, and ran up to my mom's house to spend time with my sister. Oh...first, I need to plug in my phone. Huh...where IS my phone? I empty my purse onto my mom's counter, including the princess book I bought for the girls from the Elf. It was not in my purse. I started thinking about where it could be...and then I remembered taking it out of my pocket...at work. So, I run down to my truck, praying it's in there. And...of course it isn't. So, I get back in my truck and drive back to Jackson Park, which is about 20 minutes from my house. I go to my office. No. I ask the custodian for the keys to the portable. Not in there either. I walk to my friend's classroom. She still happens to be there. I ask her about my phone. She comes and helps me look. Not in the library. Not in the work room. Not in my mailbox. We walk back to my office and she helps me look in there. Nothing...so, I decide it has to be either in my truck, or I've lost it somewhere between school and home. So, I retrace my steps to the parking lot. Then, I go to my truck to start searching. I take out my flashlight and look all over the passenger side. It's not in the seat, or under the seat. It's not on that side. I stand up, lock the door and close it and walk around to the driver's side. I was somewhere at the back of my truck when I realize...I don't have my keys in my hand. Please let them be in my pocket! They weren't. Luckily, I snuck into the school through the gym to my friend's classroom. I called my parents to ask if they could meet me with a spare key. My dad drives the 20 minutes to Jackson Park with my spare and I drive home. I'm tired. I'm cranky. I'm phone-less. I'm a mess. I was ready to move to Austrailia for sure! I have a student that whenever something goes wrong, even a small problem, he often will say, "Today is the worst day of my life!" In jest, I said this to my friend after the key incident. It was a horrible day! The worst day of my life? Probably not. In my thinking about the day's events after I tucked the girls into bed, it made me giggle thinking about my day. It was awful, but it was no where near the worst day of my life. That happened a few years ago. And the lesson that I learned from that day? It puts everything into perspective for me. I am an over-exaggerater sometimes. So, like my little friend, I will often say things like "that was the worst day ever!" or "That's the biggest mistake I've ever made." I used to throw those phrases out all the time. And now when I say them? It seems silly. Today was not the worst day of my life. A lot of things happened that made it not so great, but I will survive the day and be ok! Locking my keys in my car isn't the end of the world. Losing my cell phone has actually been a blessing for now. Sure, I'm panicked that I don't have a phone in my house at this moment, but I haven't gone on Facebook, I haven't received texts, I haven't had to check e-mail. It's been kinda nice! So, when you catch yourself thinking that this is the worst day of your entire life, think hard! Is it? Is your problem a big problem, or a small problem? Sure, it might seem big at the time, but when you give it some perspective, it falls off the wayside. It's not a big deal. You can get through it! That's the funny thing about terrible, horrible, no good very bad days. They get you through the days when the drama's not as hightened. They help you see that it's ok to lock your keys in the car. Worse things could happen... If you need me, you'll have to just stop by and visit! LOL! And if you see a white iPhone with my "Every Play I'm Russellin" Seahawks case, let me know! In the meantime, maybe I should check flights to Austrailia.