My brain is weird. If you know me more than an acquaintance, this isn’t groundbreaking news to you. My brain isn’t a creepy weird, but more of a “where on Earth did that come from?” surprising kind of weird. One example that happens every once in a while, is that I’ll hear a well-known, often used phrase and I’ll dissect it. I’ll engage my closest friends into unwarranted text conversation about the phrase, Google where it originated, and decide if it’s a good expression, or one that we should start using differently.
As I spent the morning reflecting on my weekend and pondering what to write about for this blog, I realized that this past week was jam-packed full of events. I used the term “roller coaster of a week” in my head, and then I started analyzing the phrase that I used, because…again, my brain is weird.
For context, here are the highlights of my week.
Sunday–Spent a few hours at work Sunday afternoon. I rarely work on Sundays, and usually only do so in an emergency. This particular day was not an emergency, but I had a monthly task to complete, that had to be done today.
Monday–Mostly meetings and administrative work at the office. Pretty normal day.
Tuesday–I spent part of the morning reading to my niece’s kindergarten class. My plan was to go to work after this, but my sister thought she was going to have a baby this day. My mom and dad who usually watch my son on Tuesdays were going to be at the hospital with my sister. So I had to “work from home”.
Wednesday–No new niece on Tuesday, so I took Wednesday off and planned on working Thursday (my usual day off)…also no new niece on Wednesday.
Thursday–My sister had her baby! My wife took the day off to watch Parker and I went into work. I plan out my calendar a month in advance, so trying to rearrange schedules let minute was hectic. Before work, I also had a doctor’s appointment. After work, Halley and I drove to Champaign to meet our new niece.
Friday–While at work, it was a struggle to remember what day it was. Having worked Sunday, was away two days I would usually be in a restaurant, then working on a usual off day. My routine was very, very off. Friday night, we attended a progressive dinner in Danville’s downtown and had a fun night with friends.
Saturday–Worked in the morning, had a plan for Gardner to pick me up at work on the way to Hoopeston, realized I didn’t have my wallet, last minute change of plans, and then went with Gardner and his daughter/my niece, Caroline to Hoopeston for the book signing!
Usually when people compare their life events to a roller coaster, it’s in a negative way. Did you read parts of my list in a negative way? Why is that? Don’t people go on roller coasters to have fun? Theme parks charge a lot of money to ride their roller coasters. We pay extra money to get our picture taken on the roller coaster, and buy souvenirs, so we can remember the roller coaster experience. Henceforth, when I say “my life is a roller coaster”I mean the fun, crazy, full of surprises kind of roller coaster. I welcome the corkscrews and loop-de-loops because when we look at it from the right perspective, these roller coasters can be a lot of fun! Let me re-write my list in a more positive way.
Sunday–I avoided some major Monday headaches by working on Sunday. I could have put this off until Monday, but it would have made for a much crazier day.
Monday–Today went smoothly because of the work I put in the day before.
Tuesday–First, I got to read to a bunch of kindergarteners. Many of them had read (or and loved) Super Penguin! Their teacher made the most delicious carrot cake cupcakes for me as a “thank you.” Then I got to play with Parker and spend time with my boy, instead of going to work!
Wednesday–No work and I got to spend another day with Parker. Two full days in a row! This usually only happens when we are using our vacation time!
Thursday–Doctor appointment went great! I’ve lost over 12 pounds since the last visit and am becoming healthier along the way. Thankful that Halley has days she can take off for last minute issues. And then we got to meet Ellie!
Friday- Once my sister and her family were home, we took Parker to meet his new cousin. Parker also spent the night with his grandparents who didn’t get their usual time with him on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Progressive Dinner with our friends was a lot of fun!
Saturday-Had a good half day at work and had an even better time in Hoopeston! The forgotten wallet had a ripple effect that meant Parker got to see his older cousin, Caroline. His face lit up when he saw her and he was very happy to play with her.
Sure, I cut out the mundane and negative sounding stuff. But we don’t talk about the mundane parts of a roller coaster, do we? We don’t talk about waiting in line, or the slow, glide back into the loading/unloading area. Instead we fondly remember that first big climb and the drop down, or that double loop-de-loop that went straight into a double corkscrew!
I hope you fondly remember your next roller coaster kind of week and you enjoy the ride! -Rob
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