Murphy or Nick?
I was up late last night finishing my papers for night class, so I had a rough time dragging myself out of bed this morning, especially because the stomachache from yesterday had not fully subsided. I wished so badly that I could stay in bed that I literally whispered out loud to no one in particular, "I want to keep sleeeeeeeping..."
Then the morning of Murphy's Law began.
From the time I pulled out of my driveway, I counted upwards of five events that delayed me on my way to work, and it's a 14 minute drive! By the end, the delays were almost comical. I wasn't quite ready to laugh yet though. I was administering our first standardized test this morning and couldn't be late.
I was chilling in the long line of cars waiting to turn left in front of our high school. Unfortunately, the only route to my middle school is a two-lane road past our overcrowded high school. It's highly unpredictable in the mornings, and I already left way later than I should have.
First, our light refused to turn green, so the left turn lane backed up twenty cars deep and continued to grow. We quickly realized the reason for the delay when flashing red lights filled my rear view mirror. I had nowhere to go knowing it was approaching, so I stayed put but was still startled by the firetruck horn that blared in my ear and faded into the distance the exact moment they were parallel to my car. The siren scream faded into the distance.
Thinking I was free and clear, I made the left hand turn but wondered why half a mile down the road, we were slowing. 35 miles per hour, 30, 25, 20...15. I craned my neck and saw the tractor. Great... Okay, I get it, he has places to be too, but really? This morning? This road? I watched the glowing digital numbers on my dashboard tick higher and higher.
I was pushed over the edge though when the tractor completely stopped in the middle of the road. All the thoughts started racing through my head as I watched the clock. Why did he stop? Did he break down? This is bad, bad, bad... He eventually turned left across the double-striped road, but it added a good 3 or 4 minutes, that alone! I wished more than anything I had just dragged myself out of bed earlier.
Oversleeping had already done it's damage and I was beyond late at this point. I was now at the stage where I just needed to get to work so I wouldn't be fired or something for not being ready to start the test when the bell rang.
Other frustrating delays ensued over the next twenty minutes. I balanced the speedometer, the dashboard clock, and my heart rate, all of the numbers precariously close to boiling over where they should be.
I pulled into the parking lot with seconds to spare and raced up to my room. I wish I could say everything got better from there, but it was just one insane thing after the next all day at work and night class. On the bright side, I made it through alive and I managed to wrap up all of my assignments for my night class, barely making deadline thanks to some quick work and helpful friends.
Even this blog post is going up with minutes to spare. Let's just say everything was cut a little too close for comfort today.
I'm well aware that this was not a full blown Murphy's Law situation because everything worked out in the end, even if it was just in the nick of time. In fact, I've decided to call situations like this Nick's Law. When everything that could go wrong does, but just enough to heighten your sense of anxiety and make you break out in a slight sweat while your jaw tightens until it eventually swings around in your favor with seconds to spare. Pulse stabilized. I prefer Nick over Murphy, but I could have done without either of the boys today.
Then the morning of Murphy's Law began.
From the time I pulled out of my driveway, I counted upwards of five events that delayed me on my way to work, and it's a 14 minute drive! By the end, the delays were almost comical. I wasn't quite ready to laugh yet though. I was administering our first standardized test this morning and couldn't be late.
I was chilling in the long line of cars waiting to turn left in front of our high school. Unfortunately, the only route to my middle school is a two-lane road past our overcrowded high school. It's highly unpredictable in the mornings, and I already left way later than I should have.
First, our light refused to turn green, so the left turn lane backed up twenty cars deep and continued to grow. We quickly realized the reason for the delay when flashing red lights filled my rear view mirror. I had nowhere to go knowing it was approaching, so I stayed put but was still startled by the firetruck horn that blared in my ear and faded into the distance the exact moment they were parallel to my car. The siren scream faded into the distance.
Thinking I was free and clear, I made the left hand turn but wondered why half a mile down the road, we were slowing. 35 miles per hour, 30, 25, 20...15. I craned my neck and saw the tractor. Great... Okay, I get it, he has places to be too, but really? This morning? This road? I watched the glowing digital numbers on my dashboard tick higher and higher.
I was pushed over the edge though when the tractor completely stopped in the middle of the road. All the thoughts started racing through my head as I watched the clock. Why did he stop? Did he break down? This is bad, bad, bad... He eventually turned left across the double-striped road, but it added a good 3 or 4 minutes, that alone! I wished more than anything I had just dragged myself out of bed earlier.
Oversleeping had already done it's damage and I was beyond late at this point. I was now at the stage where I just needed to get to work so I wouldn't be fired or something for not being ready to start the test when the bell rang.
Other frustrating delays ensued over the next twenty minutes. I balanced the speedometer, the dashboard clock, and my heart rate, all of the numbers precariously close to boiling over where they should be.
I pulled into the parking lot with seconds to spare and raced up to my room. I wish I could say everything got better from there, but it was just one insane thing after the next all day at work and night class. On the bright side, I made it through alive and I managed to wrap up all of my assignments for my night class, barely making deadline thanks to some quick work and helpful friends.
Even this blog post is going up with minutes to spare. Let's just say everything was cut a little too close for comfort today.
I'm well aware that this was not a full blown Murphy's Law situation because everything worked out in the end, even if it was just in the nick of time. In fact, I've decided to call situations like this Nick's Law. When everything that could go wrong does, but just enough to heighten your sense of anxiety and make you break out in a slight sweat while your jaw tightens until it eventually swings around in your favor with seconds to spare. Pulse stabilized. I prefer Nick over Murphy, but I could have done without either of the boys today.
Clever ending! I prefer Nick, too, but Nick still makes me nervous. The imagery in this piece is great. I love the lines "I watched the glowing digital numbers on my dashboard tick higher and higher" and "I balanced the speedometer, the dashboard clock, and my heart rate, all of the numbers precariously close to boiling over...". Those lines themselves stressed me out! Hope tomorrow is better :)
ReplyDeleteTHIS! I have so many connections here, for a moment I started to think, "I must know her, she is describing so much of my morning." Tractors, two lane roads with lines of cars, these are enough to make your blood boil, but in a super calm-it's going to work out-but why, sort of way. Your description of "a Nick" really got me thought. I think we need to add this to Merriem Webster: "When everything that could go wrong does, but just enough to heighten your sense of anxiety and make you break out in a slight sweat while your jaw tightens until it eventually swings around in your favor with seconds to spare. "
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