A Suckin' it Up Kinda Day

Have you ever had a day when upon rising from bed you know it "ain't gonna be a fun one?" The particular dreaded tasks for that day are looming grimly in front of you. You know that an enduring perseverance and mind over matter is all you've got for your only means of survival. I have come to call a day such as this a "Suckin' It Up Kinda Day."

I, however, have an innovative strategy that has helped me survive these kind of days. Perhaps, it will help you, too. It is a simple question I ask myself when I'm confronted with a day that looms large. When I first wake up and realize it inevitably will be a "Suckin' It Up Kinda Day," I ask myself, "Now -- would I rather be having surgery today or would I rather be (fill in some formidable task)?? It works beautifully.

One "Suckin' It Up Kinda Day" for me springs to mind. I have since measured all other days by this one in particular. I had been invited to do a book signing at the Barnes and Noble in Wilmington, N.C. , along with other authors. They also asked us to participate in judging a children's creative writing contest. The bookstore had planned a full day of speaking to children in the school system about creative writing and using your imagination. We had already prejudged the writings and were told we would just be attending the awards ceremony in the store that night.

I was on the desolate stretch of I-40 on the other side of Raleigh. I reasoned that since I was behind schedule and I could make up for the lost time by picking up my speed a bit -- bad idea.
Next scene -- ..as the kindly cop was walking over to have a little visit with me, I thought to myself then, '˜Well, at least the day can't get any worse than this'. Little did I know what was in store.

I, at long last, arrived at the person's home with whom I was staying for the event. I was looking forward to a good night's sleep in anticipation of the full day ahead. However, the grandfather clock in the hall had other ideas as he dinged and dinged every hour and every half hour. I didn't sleep a second.

The next morning, I stumbled into the bathroom and began washing my hair. My friend walked in and said, "I hope you don't have your hair highlighted because there is some kind of chemical in our water that will turn your hair orange." I think I started screaming. At least, the lovely shade of orange in my hair brought out the purple in the circles under my eyes nicely. On top of that I had forgotten to take my hundred thousand watt hairdryer to blow out my natural curl that I hate but humidity loves. Instead, my friend loaned me her 1/2 watt hairdryer that spit lukewarm air at my orange curls.

Advance forward -- I was picked up by a perky school volunteer. She had obviously had a full night's sleep. She said, "We have quite a full day planned for you all. We have you scheduled to speak from 8:00 '"3:00. The good news is that the TV crew will be at the school at 10:00!" As I sat there with my orange curly hair, I was trying to think of the best way to bail out of the day. The only plan I could come up with was to start vomiting on the spot. I knew that would be unattractive, so instead I decided to "SUCK IT UP" hence the term.

Somehow I did survive that long, long day. Little did I know, it wasn't over yet. Barnes and Noble had planned a dinner for the writers. We only had to attend the awards ceremony and then I would be free to sleep and do something about my hair. '˜Ahh -- I'm finally on the home stretch." I could feel my body slowing beginning to relax. However, the store manager abruptly turned to me and said, "We'd really like for you to speak tonight at the ceremony. There will probably be maybe a hundred people or so there. You wouldn't mind would you?"
"Oh, of course not," I slurred as I lied through clenched teeth. I knew it was just what I needed to round out a "Suckin' It Up Kinda Day."

In retrospect, I must say that on THAT particular day I would have opted for surgery. At least I would have been horizontal and sleeping with a cap covering my hair.