Good weeks, bad weeks

We all have them – weeks when everything goes right, and weeks when nothing goes right.

Last week was a “nothing was going right” week  I started my car on Monday and got some weird warning light about my brakes.  I burned the pork chop dinner I labored over for hours on Tuesday, and I got a note home from one of my older son’s teachers on Wed. asking if he’s been unfocused at home.  (Apparently, he’s been a little distracted at school.)

These probably all seem like little things, but as things piled up, I felt like fate was dumping on me.  I started snapping at my husband and my kids.  That made me mad at myself, because I knew it wasn’t really their fault.

Then, on Thursday morning, as I was making my list for the supermarket (my least favorite place!), my son asked me what was wrong.  “Nothing,” I sort of snapped automatically.  “Just not a good week.”

“That’s too bad,” he said.  “I’m having a great week.  I got to be in the school play.  I got all my homework done even though I’ve been at rehearsals all week.  And at the end of school today, I’m on vacation for 10 days.  All good things.”

I stopped in my tracks.  Little things were “wrecking” my life, but little things were making my son’s life great this week.  During that day, I began to look for little things.  Yes, the “brake” light came on when I started my car, but I noticed that my car seat was in the perfect position – not too far back, not overly reclined – just perfectly comfortable.  I had a lovely conversation with the clerk at the supermarket – turns out her daughter and I went to high school together.  I got a pretty bad haircut (I’m in that “growing it out” phase where nothing you do looks good) but then I remembered the headband collection I kept from my long-hair days, dragged them out of my closet and put one in –much better!  And I cooked the perfect roast beef – a restaurant-good, pink-only-in-the-middle masterpiece.

Things are definitely looking up.  Amazing how the words of a small, distracted kid can magically turn a bad week into a good week!

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