The Day I Didn't Get Mad

There I was. Standing in the parking lot at Giant. A bitter wind is scraping across the cold pavement. The two girls I have balanced on each hip are beginning to whimper. And I am thinking... "What am I doing here?"

Let's go back. 24 hours, to be exact. Yesterday was seamless. I felt like I accomplished so much, and I had today, Errand Day, planned out to a T. I even woke up at 6:45 this morning and ran nearly 3 miles. It was a perfect 24 hours. Disrupted only by the Errands. Sure, I was still going strong by the time I ran into Laura and her kids at stop #4, even though I had a very slow morning and a late start, throwing off Brooklyn's first nap. It was stop #5 that did me in. That's right.... Giant. I suppose it didn't help that I let Kate talk me into trying out one of those tanks - er I mean shopping carts with little cars attached to the front. I hate those things. I had never tried them because they looked like implements of mommy torture. (Well they are.) I finished my shopping and heaved the giant monstrosity out to the parking lot, piled high with way too many Giant bags, fluttering in the frigid breeze. (It doesn't help that they double-bag everything. I literally go home with more bags than groceries.) After much lugging and hefting, I pulled the "cart" up next to my car where it groaned to a stop. I patted the right pocket of my jeans. Uh oh... flat. Left pocket? Also flat. My coat has no pockets. I start to reach into my purse while quickly scanning all four windows. Every single lock is down. (**Break for moment of irony** - at the last stop, stop #4, I came out to the car to find that I had left one of the car doors unlocked by chance. What are the odds?!!!) I know I did not slip my keys into my purse, but I would rather dig through that abyss than take the inevitable glance at the driver's seat. Finally I bring myself to look.



My car keys sparkle back at me menacingly.



Which is where you found me when you came in. My hand is still deep in the inner reaches of my purse, so I switch targets and fish out my cell phone. I know I haven't seen it in at least a week, so certainly it has not been charged. Sure enough, a black screen stares back at me. Optimistically, I turn it on. The bright greeting chime is accompanied by a reminder to "Be Safe, Be Courteous" and "Goodbye." Yikes.

My eyes flit from the dashboard clock, showing 2:03 p.m., to my whimpering, tired, starving children, who have neither eaten nor napped up until now. Yes... 2 p.m. I am an official idiot.

But I don't panic. Fortunately (?) this is not my first time. There is a reason I pay a little extra for car insurance with roadside assistance. I turn The Beast around and head back to the store. The single phone at the customer service desk is occupied by a Giant employee on her break arguing with what appears to be a credit card company representative. After quite a wait, another disgruntled employee finally takes me to another phone that is clearly not intended for customer use and allows me to call my insurance company. Luckily they were sympathetic and helpful and quick when I mentioned the two children with me. Barefoot and starving. Okay not really but a little extra drama never hurt. [Insert commercial for USAA here.] I wasn't even horrified when I was told that Custom Towing would arrive within 45 minutes. And we would have to wait outside since we didn't have a call-back number for them to reach us.

In all, the whole ordeal went over pretty smoothly. Total elapsed time from the moment I stared at the keys on the driver's seat in horror to the moment I was jumping up and down exuberantly as the orange-vested guy opened my car door with a flourish: under 30 minutes. So we were home a little after 2:30, and my girls did get their naps, although the late timing caused multiple tantrums and meltdowns for the rest of the day. Oh well... I figure it's days like these that make me appreciate the good days!

Oh yes... And all day long I kept my cool. This in itself was monumental. When Travis came home, I asked Kate to tell him what happened today. She thought for a moment and then came up with, "Mommy got mad!" I was like, "NO! I DIDN'T get mad! That's the whole point!" I was so proud of myself for not losing it even for a second all day today. (I've been having some temper issues lately, or so it would seem.) My wake-up call came when I realized that every other sentence that comes out of Kate's mouth is, "Mommy, are you mad?" Am I really mad all the time? Well, not today! I am turning over a new leaf, and this new era has been christened by today's catastrophe. And I am still standing.

And of course we have to have pictures. Unfortunately these are not from today. I'm really behind. Also they're totally irrelevant.