Impossible Days

Friday was one of those days. Just impossible. Every way I turned. It started on the way to work, when the road to my parents’ house was blocked and I had to turn around and go a mile and a half “around the block” to drop the kids off for the day. And that, of course, made me ten minutes late to the office.

Then it seems that the agenda for the Friday morning meeting had one time on it, and the announcement had another.  So people started showing up half an hour early.

And just before the morning meeting, Boss A comes in and asks if he can see me in his office. <shiver> So I follow him. He asks me to close the door. <double shiver> Turns out my obsessive-compulsive need to be detailed had sunk my ship again. On a recent project, I gave him too much information and he felt like I was wasting time. Sigh. I hate myself. He was very nice about it—not mad, just frustrated about why I can’t just give him “good enough” instead of “perfect.” And I did manage not to cry, which is a major accomplishment. But it was not an auspicious start to the day.

The meeting was nice because all I had to do was listen and take minutes. After the meeting, I had to cover the front desk for an hour, so I got to start typing on the minutes right away. I think that was God’s little bit of pre-grace for me, because everything fell apart in the afternoon.

I had two goals at lunch. To go by the bank and withdraw cash to pay for this weekend’s karate tournaments, and to get some food. Got to the bank, and the teller asked for my ID. I handed her my driving license, and that’s when my day got shot to pieces: “Ma’am, do you realize that your license is expired?”

I was incredulous. But it had. In June. I never got a renewal notice. And who looks at their license on a regular basis? As she gave me the cash anyway, the teller told me there was a DMV renewal center close by, and since it was new, it hadn’t been “found” yet. Full of hope, I went to the center. It was packed, and the line was out the door. Ever the cockeyed optimist, I got in line. After 45 minutes, I got out of line and left. I had progressed exactly 10 feet from the door toward the number-machine.

I was kind of panicking now, because I am driving a bunch of friends several hundred miles to a tournament on Saturday, and I couldn’t do that legally. Not to mention that if I got stopped by a policeman for any reason, they would impound my car and I would be in deep trouble. Friends don’t like friends who strand them in police stations 300 miles from home.

I got back to the office late. But my supervisor and my three bosses were all out. I checked on the internet, and the renewal office closes at 4:30. Okay, I have two and a half hours to figure this out. Wait! Can I renew online? Went to the site, typed in a bunch of stuff, and …. NO. “You must get a new picture ID this year.” Oh good grief.

I keep on typing the minutes, praying my head off that someone with authority will come in soon, so I can beg to be let off to get this taken care of. Boss A comes in, but he’s talking on his phone. He goes straight to his office and STAYS on the phone. (I didn’t really want to ask him, anyway. Not after the morning.) I call around looking for Supervisor. No dice. She’s out.

I finish the minutes and print a review-and-approve copy. Boss A comes out and asks me to put two dozen promotional coffee mugs in the dishwasher and then pack them for transport. I comply.

It is now 2:55 p.m. I am becoming more and more panicked. And then Boss B came in. Took a look and me and said “What is wrong?” So I told him. And he said, “Get out of here and take care of it. If you can make it back, great; if not, don’t worry about it. I’ll explain to Supervisor.”

So I run down the hall to CoWorker1 and ask her if she will please get the mugs out of the dishwasher and repack them for me at 4:15, and if she will cover the front desk from 4:30 to 5:00. She kindly agrees. And I grab all my stuff and high-tail it out of there. I call and leave a message (probably half-hysterical and semi-coherent) for Supervisor, explaining the situation.

I decide to go to a center closer to my office. I am praying all the way that God will somehow make it possible for me to get there before they close (it’s a government office … they always close early), get my license without having to fork out too much of a penalty, and get back to the office. I am so distraught that I get confused and think I have passed the place. Turn around and drive back. Where I thought it was is a public storage place. I freak out.

I turn back around and start calling people as I drive  back east again. First, CoWorker2, my BFF, who I know will look up the address for me. She’s not in. So I call CoWorker1 . She’s not in. So I call CoWorker3, aka Superwoman, who tells me that I haven’t gone far enough east, and I should be there in less than five minutes. It is now 3:28.

I finally arrive, at 3:33. I parallel park (thanks, Daddy!) and RUN to the front door, which has a line halfway down the walk in front of it. I manage to blow out a shoe in the process. So much for my favourite little black flats. But I’m in line.

Then the front door opens, and a uniformed lady comes out. As she works her way down the line, I see her sending some people away. I overhear her telling someone that they close the doors at 3:30 so that they can clear all of the waiting people by 5:00. I start praying madly. She comes to me and asks me what I’m doing. I tell her I’m renewing. She tell me that I can do that online. I say that I tried, but I have to have a new photo taken, and it’s expired. She asks to see my license. I show her. She tells me to go inside, turn right, and use the kiosk to initiate the renewal process, then go to the camera counter. I thank her profusely. (I’m sure she thought I was slightly insane.)

I go to the kiosk, fill out the info, pay the fee and the fine (total, $25), and go get my picture taken. Picture sucks (you can tell I am on the verge of tears), but I don’t care. It’s in my hand and it’s only 3:45. I get out to the car, pull out of the lot, and call Supervisor to tell her I’ll be back in ten minutes. I hang up and have total hysterics—I am laughing and crying and thanking God and not breathing and just totally freaking out. The people in the cars around me are giving me funny looks. I don’t care. The relief was so massively overwhelming.

The last hour of my day at the office was quiet. Thank heaven. Because then there was after work. Errands to run include getting groceries and vacuuming out the car. Only Mr. Pride closed ten minutes before I got there. So #2 Son and I had to vacuum the car out ourselves. Not a big deal, but we are slower than Mr. Pride. Got groceries, got petrol, got supper. Now there’s just packing for the day-trip to do, and I’m ready for sleep. Which I really, really need.

I only hope that Saturday is a lot less impossible than Friday was.

Tags: automobiles, challenges, customer service, drivers license, Family Life, prayer, stress, True Stories, Work Life