Last night seemed to end on a good note, or at least a normal note, but as soon as I laid down for bed everything changed. For the first time in nearly three weeks I wasn't sleeping alone. This would be the first time that I shared my evening with a stranger, but the stranger wasn't a person. My unexpected guest was the world's worst headache! No, I mean really, it was the worst headache that I have ever experienced in my entire life. I thought it would go away eventually but as the minutes turned into hours I knew I was wrong. Literally three hours and my headache continued to worsen. I contemplated going to the hospital but I was too embarrassed. Not only that, but I was also dizzy (more than usual) and my eyes couldn't stand the slightest bit of light. Finally I couldn't take it any longer and at 3am I got out of my bed with the intention of going to the corner store for aspirin. I made it downstairs, through the front door and to the corner of the our block, but from the corner I could see that the store had closed for the night. Naturally I asked the desk clerk if he had any aspirin. The answer was "no" followed by an explanation about it being illegal to give aspirin to guests. Back to my room I went... I lasted 20 minutes before I decided to go back downstairs and attempt a hike to 7-11. Surprise, it was raining! Ugh! It gets worse...
Walking the three block to 7-11 was akin to running a half marathon as far as I was concerned. I felt like crap, it was cold, raining, and I could barely see straight. When I finally made it to the store the door was locked. The lights were on and they were clearly open for business but the door was locked. A minute or two later the clerk opened the door and asked me to wait for a few moments while he finished mopping the floor and replace the floor mats. Really????? Seriously, I couldn't make this shit up! I waited... Outside... In the cold... While it rained... Feeling like death... But I waited. Clearly this guys floor and floor mats were very important. Are you sitting down? You better be sitting, because this part will be the biggest shocker. When the guy opened the door (5-6 minutes later) to let me, instead of berating him like I felt like doing, I thanked him and went about my shopping. Yes, I kept my cool and I made a choice to stay level headed. How was he to know what was going on in my life at that moment? He was doing his job, and unfortunately I happened to be in pain. I paid for my aspirin, decongestant, lemonade, and gummy bears (yes, you read that right) and then I returned to the hotel. Along the way I inhaled three aspirin. Within a hour I could feel the pain slowly subsiding and being replaced with exhaustion. The time was nearly 5am.
My morning started in the best possible way- a text from Chris. It was the same time that we normally connect every morning. He was aware (keenly aware) of the issues I endured overnight and naturally he was concerned. We connected via FaceTime and then off to work I went. I arrived a bit later than normal (9:45am) but I was still within my self-imposed restrictions. At first I was a little groggy but in no time I was back to my normal self. It is a good thing too because I had a meeting with Gabbie and Lisa scheduled for today. A meeting that I requested, so I felt like I needed to be ready with something of value since they accepted my request and gave freely of their time. For those of you who don't know, Gabbie is the HR Manager onsite and Lisa is her assistant/all-around "studio mother". Lisa has been affiliated with the studio for a long time and it shows. She truly cares... It is a great thing to experience. Anyway, the purpose of my meeting was to begin "our" team building. An official kickoff of our team. It was an opportunity to create our future as a team and define what the future looked like for each one of us. The foundation anyway... I left the meeting feeling great, and I could only hope that both Gabbie and Lisa did also. As far as I am concerned we operate as one unit. Call me a dreamer, and sometimes I am, but I think they feel the same way.
Again, I am left feeling amazed when I look back at the turn of events. In life we truly choose what is important to us, and that choice will dictate the way the rest of our day unfolds. This isn't magic or positive thinking that I am referring to here, rather it is a choice. I made a conscious choice to wake up and face my day regardless of the events that took place a few hours prior. My choice gave me the power needed to overcome my circumstances and I felt great. Granted, waking up to a text from the love of my life made my choice a whole lot easier. Choose to have a great day today! I know I will...
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