Don’t cry over spilled milk, right?
What about coffee? What if it’s the last of the coffee in the house, you had a terrible night’s sleep, and you desperately need the caffeine, the comforting heat of the cup, the aroma, the rich taste?
What if it spills all over papers, electronics, and more? Then can you cry? Whine? Whimper?
Not only did my mug take a tumble onto the floor this morning, but the coffee soaked my cloth purse, a pile of papers and folders stacked by the side of my bed, along with a flashlight and computer cables.
Surly sound-off (coffee crazy?)
Bleary-eyed and pissed, I wasn’t revved up for rapid response. But I scurried to the kitchen, grabbed a roll of paper towels, scooped up everything and began dabbing, wiping, and otherwise trying to clean up the mess.
Might I add that in this process of bending and lifting, sopping and mopping, I was all too keenly aware of the morning’s aches and pains?
Every fucking day it’s something.
It’s not a good sign when cosmic rains start before seven. Not only was I without food in the house again – that’s manageable – but I was without coffee. Not manageable. So any thoughts of putting off Starbucks and Target and Kroger for one more day went straight out the window. Or rather, into the garbage with the dripping, inky blur of article notes and to do lists that were beyond saving.
The bright side
On the bright side, I salvaged a good deal from the spill, which was hardly of BP proportions. My makeup inside the drenched black bag was intact, as were my business cards and my wallet. I dried the cables, and as for the files and folders that took a hit, one slightly stained page was something I needed and might not have found otherwise. Serendipity?
So I dressed, went out, did grocery shopping Part 1, picked up coffee, and even received a free cup, while woefully waiting for my French Roast to be ground. Part 2 of shopping will come later, after writing, after emails, and after the caffeine has worked its miracles.
Into every life a little rain must fall
When it rains it pours. Got it.
Into every life a little rain must fall. Got it.
Rain, rain, go away. I know – right?
Yeah, yeah. It’s only coffee. It was nothing. But when you’re inundated, “nothing” isn’t nothing. And I’m weary of carrying an umbrella at all times, ready for a drizzle here, a cloudburst there, and relentless thunderstorms, more often than not.
- Any aches and pains slowing you down?
- Weary of being the adult, constantly cleaning up?
- Do you feel like you live under a storm cloud, and the rains won’t stop?
Perspective (one of those “critical life skills”)
Sure, I even found something I needed as a result of this commonplace mishap. As for aches and pains, they’re a part of my life, and so I deal with it. Yet the rains keep coming. Another downpour earlier this week which I simply set aside for now, so I can continue with the tasks at hand. But it reminds me again that there is much we can control, and far more that we cannot. All we can control – to some extent – is how we handle ourselves in the midst of storm, and its aftermath.
So I’ll cry over spilled milk or spilled coffee. Then I’ll clean up, as best I can. Facing the reality that there is no life without spills, without stains, without incidents beyond our control. There is also no appreciation for the good days without the bad.
Could I do with fewer bad days? With help to get through them?
You bet. But I’m thankful to retain perspective, and to know the difference between torrential rains and daily drizzle.
© D A Wolf
We are channeling the same coffee sprite – I spilled coffee this morning too. On myself. At work. Bright side? My skirt’s patterned and I can control my bladder pretty damn well so the trips to the bathroom are cut by half as I attempt to hide the stain from public view.
That’s never a good way to start my day. And then there are All. These. Meetings. that I don’t care about that I have to attend. But it pays the bills. And so I’m there but I hope no one notices the glassy sheen in my eyes.
I’m suffering from the post-vacation (even if it was only a measly 3 days) doldrums and I’d rather be there, not here. I suppose I will eventually get back into the swing of things but so far, it’s been feeling like Monday every day this week. I’m glad I’m not alone – small consolation I suppose. I’ll take what I can get.
I’m with you on this one Justine “so far it’s been feeling like Monday every day this week.”
Nope. You’re not alone on that one! (Sorry for your stains. My bag is stained, too – but on the inside. Still emptied, and drying, on my bathroom floor.)
Okay – so today I am annoyed. #5’s financial aid office requested income verification – in the form of his and my tax returns. I am use to this and got them out, had him sign his, signed my 1040X (as I filed extremely early and then filed an amended return). Sent this off in the mail.
Today, my forms came back to me as I had only signed the 1040X – the most recent filing. Give me a break!! How do they expect his bill to clear by August 2 if they keep jerking me around?
Sorry for your coffee spilling day, BLW. And this phase of umbrella life. I know there are rainbows and sunbeams waiting in the wings, because I felt them today at Eva’s. Your words about how we need to respect our elderly touched me deeply.
Thank you.
Maybe I should go into the umbrella business? (And Eva’s post was very thought-provoking.)
I know the difference between the torrential downpour and the passing storm, but sometimes that passing storm just chaps my hide in the worst way.
Yup. And then there’s the challenge of storms, one after another. Might we say “a season of storms?” Hell. I need another cup of coffee. (At least I have some now.)
Crying over spilled coffee is reasonable! It IS a big deal on top of what’s already come to pass in recent weeks — I forget that sometimes, demanding more of myself in terms of “getting over” something faster than I can really expect myself to. Hope the nerves are at peace this afternoon and into the evening.
I am all for crying over spilled coffee! And no coffee in the house? Absolute tragedy!
It is so much harder to just keep dealing when every little fucking thing that can go wrong does. I have been there.
This is the problem that I have with the “be happy, be grateful” movement. How are we really to know happiness if we don’t know sadness, frustration, outrage? And how are we to fully appreciate happiness without having overcome those moments of despair?
Do not get down on yourself for feeling what you feel. In the end, you know it’s just spilled coffee, but in the moment? Just another pain in the ass.
Maybe you should switch to Mojitos. After a few, at least you wouldn’t care if you spilled some. (just joking)
Yes, it sounds like you are definitely having Job-days. That’s Job with a long “o.” Evidently the celestial wager is on and you are the prize. Wanna borrow my guardian angel? I’ve got a pic of her in my ABC Wednesday post! She’s Awesome!
All angels (and apparently McDonald’s coffee!) are welcome…
I’m laughing at this because MY morning began with cleaning pee off the bathroom floor! Apparently LO had done the pee-pee dance a little too long and then I heard; “Mommy I peed all over the floor!” Followed by major crying and freaking out. So with maybe two sips of coffee in me I had to stop what I was doing, clean up the pee on the floor and also the pee-peed kid in the tub. Joy. And you know what? I never gave it a second thought until I read your post because shit like this is a NORMAL part of my day! EVERY day. And that was just the beginning of it.
Btw, Mc’D’s LARGE coffee is only $1.81 and is quite good. 🙂
Thanks for the tip on McD’s coffee, Mindy! (I still have to clean up after my teen boys. And I’ll just leave it at that. I think I prefer wiping up coffee.)
What’s worse than spilled coffee? Piping hot coffee but no half-n-half to add to it. Blech. Bad day alert.
But you’re right. It’s just a drizzle and I’m content to enjoy it rather than waste my time complaining. The downpours will come soon enough!
BLW, I like that you have enough perspective to recognize that without the bad you can’t appreciate the good. The downpour is happening, but like every storm, this too shall pass.
Oh man, I’ve been here. It always seems that when I’m having a bad day – when things just are not going my way – that’s when I spill my drink or drop something that breaks. When I can least handle it emotionally is always when it happens. Feels like the final straw that broke the camel’s back! But just hang in there, keep going. It WILL get better.
No spills today. No ant invasions. No falling fixtures from the ceiling. No automobile break-down. No air conditioning FAIL. No computer crash. Dare I say it? So far, so good…
Of course, I haven’t left the house. And I brewed my coffee and poured it into a cup with a lid. These days, I’ll take all the precautions I can!
Maybe now, you can just take a whiff of your bag and get a little caffeine jolt when you need it?? I hope the day stayed drizzly (or turned sunny!) and never progressed to full-on thunderstorms. Or if it did, I hope you had a super-mega-grande (lidded) cup of coffee to keep you dry. =>
There’s the part of us that thinks, well, if spilled coffee is as bad as it gets …
And then there’s the part that goes, Great, just what I needed …
It’s a reminder that just when we think it can get no worse, it often does. So, carry on!
😉
No coffee messes here (er, because of no coffee) but lots and lots of spilled milk. Not by me, by my first. And it bothers me every time she spills her cup (purposefully, mind you) onto the table. But, I am grateful that we even have milk to spill.