Yesterday, I had to be in my office with my computer warmed up by 6 a.m. for a meeting with a Japanese company. Being “global” means everyone has to be flexible. For me, 6 a.m. is very early and creates scheduling conflicts with getting my daughter to school. Instead of grumbling, however, I gave myself an attitude adjustment and boy did I learn a lot!
The alarm went off at 5 a.m. and I reluctantly turned on the light. I skipped breakfast, coffee, and a few rounds of Words With Friends, but I did take a look through the newspaper. Before I knew it, it was 5:17. I showered and dressed and was in my car at 5:52 a.m. I learned that no matter how much time I give myself to get ready in the morning, I will use it all up one way or another.
Driving to the office, I discovered that the many stop lights I have to get through are all blinking that early in the morning. With very light traffic, I flew along the road and arrived at the office at 5:57 a.m. (Yes, I live very close to the office!) I got a spot right by the door and got up to my office by 5:59 a.m. It took my computer until 6:06 a.m. to boot up so that I could get into the conference call. Yes, I was late! The meeting hadn’t yet started, so it all worked out anyway. Phew!
I felt very virtuous being in the office so early…but there was no one there to take notice. At 7:00 when the call ended, I gave my younger daughter a call. A very sleepy 12 year old answered her cell phone. I asked if her sister were driving her to school. No worries, she was sure that would happen, but told me I was calling the wrong daughter. I then called my older daughter’s cell phone and she didn’t answer. At 7:36 a.m., I got nervous and called her again. I had clearly woken her up and she was going to be late to school even without dropping her sister off.
I called my younger daughter back and said I was on my way. I got in the car and drove home. Walking into the house, I realized I’d not had any coffee, so I popped a K-cup into the machine and filled a travel mug. The dog bounded in, so I fed her then let her out. I got my daughter to school by 8 a.m. and pulled out my phone for my next meeting. As I drove back to the office, I tried to take a sip of my coffee only to have it spill into my lap. It was at that point that I recalled the last time I used that travel mug and the same thing happened. Fortunately, both times I was wearing coffee-colored clothing, head to toe!
I got back to the office at 8:20, just in time for my next meeting and just in time for my boss to see me “arriving” late. Sigh. There is no reward for going to the office early!
So, I learned a few things.
- The quickest commutes and best parking spots are for the early birds.
- It takes longer to boot up my computer than to drive to work.
- My daughters will sleep through their alarms and miss school if I don’t pay attention.
- I should never drive and drink coffee at the same time…unless I’m wearing brown.
- Next time I have a 6 a.m. meeting, I should complain about it loudly in advance and then through-out the day, especially to my boss!
Find the Joy in the Journey…and the lessons in the ordinary!
Laura's Adventures After 50! 