With only an hour left in this day, I still have a blank post on my screen. The problem isn’t that I don’t know what to write but that I really don’t care to say anything. To put it simply, I’m in a horrendous mood and have been all day. It started hours ago. Before I had even made it to work, I was ready to toss in the towel and crawl back into bed. What set me off was simple. I had spent a significant amount of time putting together a gift for someone whose response was less than positive. Someone who knows how busy my life is. How spare moments for frivolity are few and far between, and still the voicemail I woke up to wasn’t one of thanks and gratitude but one of criticism and displeasure. It wasn’t that I did it for their praise but because I thought it would be special and would make their day. Even in such a simple task, I failed.

The rest of the day I walked around with a black cloud over my head. I smiled and pretended things were peachy-keen when needed, but still I’m sure it was obvious something was up. Normal everyday jokes and comments felt like a personal attack, and somewhere in my brain, I felt unappreciated and as if my efforts and time meant less than others. I felt stupid and questioned if everyone I strive to ‘love on’ felt the same about my efforts and just weren’t telling me. To say the least, it’s been a long, hard day.

On the bright side, I know deep down that the gift’s recipient never meant to upset me or make me feel worthless. It’s just not like them. Even now as I sit back and ponder what the other factors might have been that contributed to my foul disposition (two straight weeks of not getting home before 8:30 pm, never-ending work stress, the overwhelming feeling that there is never any time to just breathe), it seems silly that I could have worked my heart and mind into such a tizzy over something so trivial. So as this day comes to a close, I’m more than ready to put it to bed and start fresh tomorrow. As unpleasant as they can be, at least the bad days remind you how blessed you are to have the good ones, and without a doubt, I’ve truly been blessed.

Highlight of the day… the cigarette box catching fire while students still tried to dispose of their butts.