Today started off as one of those days where you just want to go back to bed and call a do-over. Sinus pressure, sore throat, knee pain, running late, obnoxious teenager, and overnight doggie surprises. Oh yeah – definitely needed to hit the reset button this morning.
So my surliness got off to a late start, and while traffic wasn’t bad, the people on the road were oblivious to the sign on my car stating “I’m cranky – move aside or perish!” I reluctantly resigned myself to enjoy the boring tedium of my job, deciding that boredom translates to a resting period of sorts, and spent awhile taking deep breaths and just trying to get my brain to shut the hell up. By noon I found I was much less aggravated, but still sort of…blah. So I closed my office door, turned off the lights and just sort of mellowed further over lunch.
Then it happened. A strange shimmer caught my eye and I looked out the window to catch an amazing sight. A mass of bright pink balloons had been released nearby and were ascending past my building. There were likely 50 of them, all with long pink ribbons trailing. I was mesmerized. All I could do was watch them; lifting, bobbing, fluttering, the few stragglers of the bunch trailing along. Then I took a deep breath and smiled for the sense of hope I suddenly felt.
I’m guessing this was someone’s recognition of the closing of October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. But to me it was a reminder to expect the unexpected and that surprises are everywhere. My afternoon is greatly improved.