I have to say that I feel like Alexander from the children's book "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" by Judith Viorst. Have you read this book? If not, I definitely recommend it! (I think maybe as an adult, I appreciate this book more than ever...)
You see I was dreading this day before it even arrived. Ya know the days where you are told something is going to happen and you are left with the anxiety of how, when, where, why, and will it happen to me? Yup. That was today. Not only have I had a sincere dread for this day, I thought I had prepared myself for whatever news might come my way. Boy, was I wrong!!
So let me give you the picture:
10:00 pm (last night) - Me to Nate "My throat hurts and my ears are tingling. Ugggghhh I hope I'm not getting sick AGAIN!" (If you know me, you know that I have practically been sick since I started teaching Kindergarten in August with short spurts of feeling "normal.")
5:00 am (today) - I wake up with a very sore throat, stopped up nose, and achey body. Definitely know that I am sick again. Try to sleep a little longer. 7:00 am - Arrive at school to a very nervous atmosphere. Everyone is uneasily joking about losing their jobs. Haha, but not really.
7:45 am - A child throws up on his desk, himself, and the floor. Poor thing has to go home. Always a great way to start the day.
10:50 am - Told that I will not have a job next year due to the reduction in force in our school district.
10:50 to 11:35am - Cry, because that is all I can do. Being prepared for the news just flew out the window. Think to self, "Maybe I should move to Australia."
12:45ish - One of my students decides to play with his fork at lunch. He then proceeds to somehow jam it between his teeth, then became hysterical. Glad the nurse was able to fix this.
1:10pm - Another student in my class is vomiting in the bathroom. It was all over her clothes and the toilet. She goes home. (At least she made it to the toilet. Btw, I win the award by a landslide for "Most Vomiting in the Classroom" this year.)
1:20 pm - I think, "Well, what else ya got for me today? Bring it on!" (Advice: It is usually best not to ask this question.) Think to self, "Maybe I should move to Australia."
2:15 pm - My kids are put into a sugar frenzy from cupcakes and Capri Sun for a sweet classmate's birthday celebration.
3:15 pm - During tutoring, my student starts coughing and by the time I get him to his Mom's car, we think he is having an Asthma attack. I think to myself that it is a good thing that I am going home very soon. (Find out later that my poor student went to the hospital, but is doing better now. OMG)
Just like Alexander, I feel grumpy, upset, angry and hurt. Though, I know that cruddy things happen and that the hiccups in my day could have been a lot worse. Alexander and I both know that moving to Australia is not the answer either. :-)
Thankfully, I have a
mighty God that has a bigger plan than I can possibly understand. A verse that has gotten me through times like this before, and that I am returning to now, is Jeremiah 29:11
"
For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, not to harm you, but to give you hope and a future."
Here is to hoping that "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days" are few and far between.
