I Prefer To Think It's My Guardian Angel

This past Friday was a perfect example. My dad was chaperoning Mister Man on a field trip so was driving to school, which meant Little Miss was riding the bus instead of me having to drop her off, too. My day - the productive part of my day, that is - would start at 8:13 intead of 9am. I was rather looking forward to that extra hour.

As Little Miss's bus left, I decided to do a couple quick things around the house, emptying the dishwasher and putting away laundry, before I headed out to teh gym as I'd originally intended. I left the house at 8:33, not quite as early as I'd hoped considering the errands I needed to run later in the day.

As I drove out of the neighborhood, my phone rang. It was my dad calling. Uh-oh. School hadn't even started yet, and already my dad was having trouble with his first chaperone experience.

Ummm, did Violet by chance leave her lunch and backpack in your house or car? he asked.

I sighed and turned around in my seat just enough to see the familiar flowered pattern of her backpack sitting on the middle seat in my car. Ahhhh yep, it's in my car. I'll come drop it off, I groaned internally, knowing that I'd be pushing it to get to school and drop it off before the buses for the field trip left.

I made it to the school a little after 8:50 and just before the students headed out to their buses. I passed the backpack - and its completely disposable lunch inside - over to the school and then headed out to the gym.

I had a benefit luncheon that started at 11am. Getting in a full run and the rest of my workout (ummm in addition to the shower that I definitely needed) was not going to happen. I didn't bag it entirely though. I went to a different location of my gym and got my run in before showering as quickly as I could. I made it to the benefit only a few minutes late and had a great time.

As I was headed to the benefit, I thought about how I had a few choices about how to handle the interruption to my day. I decided to be happy that I wasn't halfway to the gym at the time or already at the gym. My gym is 20 minutes in one direction - so had I left as soon as Little Miss had gotten on the bus as I'd originally planned, I would have been either pulling into the parking lot or already working out. Even if I was only on my way to the gym, the school is 20 minutes in the near opposite diection from the gym - getting to school before the field trip had left would have been impossible.

So it was a good thing that I had procrastinated slightly in getting to the gym because I could get the backpack and lunch to Violet. It would have been nice had she not put her backpack in my car to begin with, but we'll focus on the fact that I could fix it.

And the gym I ended up going to? It turns out that it's closer to where I had my benefit lunch by a ways, so it helped me have less driving to do. And with those realizations, I was able to focus on what I could do that morning - I got a load of laundry in! I emptied the dishwasher! I ran! I got the backpack dropped off! I made it to the lunch! - and not on any of the negative part of it.

I started thinking about this as I drove to the lunch. Those days when I just miss a stoplight and have to wait? Or when I end up leaving the house five minutes later than I expect? Or when a friend calls and has me changing plans at the last minute? How many of those little changes keep me safe and sound? How many accidents or muggings or incidents have I unknowingly avoided because a little guardian angel was looking out for me?

Maybe it's silly, but that's the outlook that is going to keep me sane and happy. That silver lining exists somewhere, and I'm going to keep searching for it.

Current Giveaways:
$50 77kids gift certificate here
Little Wonders Company personalized hardcover book here
$25 Build-A-Bear Workshop gift card here
Thomas and Friends Adventure on Misty Island Mega Blocks set here
Lawry's Complete Meal Ideas Gift Pack with casserole here