Day 97: ‘Always end with a smile’

YOU know when you just have one of those days? Today was one of those days.

Well that’s not fair to say actually, in fact it’s a gross exaggeration. It’s amazing how hard it is to see things from a positive perspective purely based on a couple of seemingly small incidences, that can so quickly snowball and determine your mood.  

In reality, I had around an hour’s worth of bad day, much outweighed by the remaining afternoon and early evening. 

The first two hours were standard, but perfectly pleasant (if you discount the smell that emanated at one point from Erin’s nappy). My beautiful little lady woke up at 8am, full of the joys of spring, and twice as hungry. We ate, played, and then she sat and watched CBeebies in her pram, while I sorted the washing and had a shower. Reasonably standard to this point.

As my sister has now returned from her travels, and found herself with a final day off, we had arranged to go out with her and the dogs. I told Erin this news, to which she was most excited, happily having her shoe buckles fastened and putting her hoodie on as she raced for the door.

Then, that fateful hour began. I couldn’t find my keys - car, house, other houses, nursery fob etc. Vaguely recollecting a 5am conversation with Mark about which car had the car seat in, and which he should take to work, I wondered whether he had taken both sets of keys accidentally.

Now ten minutes late for Katy already, I was starting to get a bit agitated, not least when I spoke to Mark and discovered he only had his keys. There’s nothing more annoying than knowing your keys are in the house, but you can’t find them!

All plans were cancelled, and with the unfortunate deluge of the monsoon preventing any outdoor fun, we were forced to make the most of the indoor toys (while I continued to search for the damn keys!)

While playing with Erin on the bed, I made that classic parenting error, I got up and turned my back for a couple of seconds. Next thing I know…THUD! Yep, Erin had rolled herself straight off the bed (which is one of those ridiculously high Princess and the Pea type affairs). 

Following a reasonably inconsolable minute or two, and then twenty minutes of ‘I feel guilty for letting you fall’ Peppa Pig episodes, I was now bored, shaken, and none the wiser about the keys.

As Erin began her lunch of egg, tomatoes, ham and toast (I know random, but she likes it), I opened the bin to deposit the egg box, and there they were. The flippin keys! 

Why on God’s great earth I put them there, I have no idea, but they were found, I felt better, and our planned day could begin again..just an hour or so later than expected.

To further remind me that my bad days are rare and pass by quickly, the sun came out later this afternoon to offer up a beautiful evening, and end it with a smile and a little giggle at my own expense.