Another Holiday?
It came at me fast; another holiday, in what seemed like only a week after the last one we had.
What happened to June, I wondered, as we heard there’s a tropical storm headed our way, just in time for Fourth of July. Usually I spend the holiday on the beach with my cool cousins from KY, but this time I had a client meeting scheduled in Wilmington. I was hesitant, but I figured if she can drive from Charlotte, I can at least drive from the island, so I did. We hadn’t been at the library long when the librarian announced a tornado warning and herded us all to the computer lab. Needless to say, it was awkward, but she was determined to keep us safe while in her building so we all obliged.
After about 20 minutes the warning expired and we were released (yippee; like those turtles released from captivity). We finished our conversation and walked toward the doors, waiting for the rain to slow down until I noticed through the window that my trunk was opened.
Oh my, not a good sign, so I took off, got soaked, and closed the trunk in the process. How in the heck did that happen, I wondered? But it didn’t much matter by then; it was opened and my trunk was drenched. ‘Electronic failure; vehicle inoperable; take to your nearest dealer’ were the words invading my instrument panel. Not happening, I thought, as I called my mechanic, who happened to be on vacation of course. I was obviously on my own here, and drove steadily through sideways rain since my actual experience was in contrast to the message I was reading.
I made it back to the island on puddles and prayers, never more thrilled to pull into my garage.
Of course by now it was a holiday, and my cousins were on their way; the last thing I wanted to deal with was car trouble. So we let it rest for the weekend and started Monday on the phone in search of a tow truck and a mechanic. I will spare you the sordid details, but needless to say, this was not the holiday we had all envisioned. Punctuate that with the parking ticket my cousin got for pulling up to the access to drop off our chairs, and I’m sure you can feel the fun.
So I decided it was time to practice what I teach, and hopefully you read recently in this column; any day can be holiday. A holiday is a mindset, and we can enjoy one whenever we choose. So I choose today to enjoy, and challenge you to do the same.
After all, how can we expect to be polished if we are annoyed by every rub?
I can hardly wait for Labor Day.
