We’ve all had that day.
You know, the day when even the simplest things go wrong.
It makes you wonder how anything ever goes right.
The cheerful helpful store employee tells you where to find something in the store and you go exactly where they say and, of course, it’s not there.
You go back and explain it’s not there, could they show you. After an almost imperceptible eye roll, the less cheerful but still slightly helpful employee takes you back, lifts up something you weren’t told to lift up, and there it is.
Who’s the dope? Them for not telling you to lift the thing up or you for not doing it anyway?
They think you; you think them.
Who cares. It’s just another thing that went wrong.
You need to get something official done at an institution. All goes well and the official person hands you your document.
You smile because it all worked out fine and then you ask, “So I’m done. This is it?”
The official person looks at you with a blank stare and says, “No. Now you have to get it authorized.”
“Oh, could you please do that for me?”
“No. We don’t do that here. We just do this part.”
“Okay. Then who does that part?”
“I don’t know.”
Silence as you take in that matter of fact yet outrageous statement.
“Well… someone must know. Could you find out for me?”
Off goes the now slightly annoyed official person to inquire of another unseen more official person, finally coming back with the answer.
You are told to go to the gray official building just down the road on the right. Can’t miss it. On the third floor is the final official person who can do it for you.
You go to find the next official building, which, of course, is not there.
No rubble. So it hasn’t crumbled since all those official people last saw it.
Aliens took it?
Who cares? It’s just another thing that went wrong.
You don’t give up yet. You make a desperation phone call to the official help number and explain to the official phone person that the building is missing.
Unfazed by the alien attack, the official phone person explains that you should have stayed in the original official building. On the third floor you’ll find the final official person who can help you.
“Great. I’ll go right back there.”
Finally. A solution.
“Don’t bother. He’s only there in the mornings. He just left.”
Right. It’s just another thing that went wrong.
So exactly what in this world ever goes right?
Lots of things… I think.
Only kidding. Lots of things do. You just don’t remember them when things go wrong.
Which is all the time, damn it… no no… let’s not get crabby.
Have a good job? Happily retired?
Have a nice apartment or house?
A wife, even, or husband? Kids? Grandkids?
I don’t know. How about a car you really like.
There must be things in your life that outweigh the crap we all go through.
Take a second and really think about how bad you have it, and hopefully you will realize that it isn’t all that bad.
Maybe not bad at all, really.
In fact, today was a good day.
Nothing went all that wrong.
***
Marc Axelrod retired from the ABC Television Network after 37 years, starting as a Technical Writer and then filling various Training and Development roles in the Broadcast division. His writing has ranged from the technical all the way to Hollywood screenplays. He is currently a Professional Writing Consultant to the the US Army War College and a Professional Writing Tutor at Molloy University in Rockville Centre, NY. His favorite role by far is being Grandpaw to two amazing little grandchildren.
To read more of his thoughts on grandparenting, Marc encourages you to visit his website The Grandpaw Chronicles at: https://www.thegrandpawchronicles.com
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Tee hee on this latest Grandpaw cuzin-o-gram.