Bad Days

Dear Elli,

Today was a bad day.  We all have those days sometimes.

My Spotify playlist was totally whack on my way to work.  My stomach was hurting.  My lunch was gross.  My boss yelled at me.  I got nothing done because I was putting fires out all day that produced absolutely no revenue.  I developed a headache.  I took Advil.  I lost my chapstick.  My lips started hurting.  I licked my lips, which did nothing but make them hurt more.  So I kept licking them, all the while desperately searching for a single tube of freaking chapstick in my purse and desk drawers.  I'm convinced there was no chapstick anywhere on the entire planet today.

Then a coworker called me, and distracted me from my frantic lip licking.  She told me the most hilarious story I've heard in weeks.  And I laughed so freaking hard that my stomach started hurting again.  It was totally awesome. 

After work, I drove home to yet another stupid Spotify playlist, licked my lips some more, stewed about my boss yelling at me, and picked you up from our sitter's house.  By the time I arrived, I was ready to cry.

But when I got out of the car, you ran as fast as you could to me and gave me a huge hug.  And you said, "Mommy, I missed you so much today!"  It was totally awesome.

I drove us home, fired up the grill, and made pork chops for dinner.  You bitched the entire time about how much you hate pork chops.  And then you proceeded to eat every bite of the awful terrible horrible disgusting pork chops that you hate so much. 

I didn't do the dishes.  Screw the dishes.  

After dinner, I scooped the litter box.  Both cats and the dog huddled around me, watching my every scoop.  The moment I tied the bag closed and stood up, Rosie hopped in the box and took a massive poop.  I closed the door and walked out.  The turd is still there.  I'm totally done with this day.

I'm drinking beer now.  I will continue to drink beer for several more hours.  And I'll most definitely spend some of that time mentally bitching about my day.  Especially the part when my boss yelled at me.  Even though I maybe kind of deserved it.  

But guess what?  I'll also spend some time cracking up about that story my coworker told me.  And some more time thinking about how great it felt when you hugged me. 

Everyone has bad days.  That's part of life.  But even on really bad days, there's almost always something to smile about. 

Try to remember that, and smile as much as you can.  Life is too short to spend your time frowning.  It gives you ugly forehead wrinkles, anyway.  At least that's what my grandma used to say.  And who wants ugly forehead wrinkles?  Not me.  I just want some God forsaken chapstick.

I love you.  And I love beer.  But I love you more than beer, even though I just found 47 tubes of chapstick hoarded in your bedroom.

Mom