Waking Up on the Wrong Side

Today is one of those "I woke up on the wrong side of the bed" days.

I rarely have these anymore. In fact I can't even remember the last time I had one. Nevertheless, today is an irritable day.

The hard part about a day like today is that while I know nothing will satisfy me, I strive for happiness anyway. I have high hopes in not being disappointed by everything. Still, my hope is crushed like an unmet dream in an inspirational movie.

Everything annoys me.

I have this strong urge to punch my little old secretary in the face because she's being too loud in the office. I want to yell at the painters & landscapers who woke me up this morning at 7am when I had full intentions of sleeping in. Screaming obscenities at the ringing phone in my office & my full e-mail Inbox is my greatest desire. I even thought about taking a pair of newly sharped scissors to my jeans this morning because they were looking at me the wrong way.

I'm tellin' ya. . . Wrong side of the bed!

The kicker is that I know I'm being crabby & I know it's not a good thing. I want today to be a happy day, like so many others, but when the cleaning people barge into my office to sweep the disaster under my desk, I want to hiss & sneer at them while casting an evil eye in their general direction.

What is wrong with me? Is it okay to have bad days? Sometimes I feel like Society pressures us to play the game of happiness & joy, even when we secretly feel like smashing our car into the person who cut us off on the freeway, just to teach them a lesson. Are we allowed to have bad days? Parents teach us to be happy & kind to others, but what happens when you just don't feel like it?

Maybe it's not about whether or not we are allowed to have bad days. Maybe the problem lies in the consequences that are issued to us as a result of those bad days.

Sure, I could go out & cause some serious bodily harm to all the gum smackers, chew-with-their-mouth-open eaters, non-signaling drivers & humming maniacs of the world, but there are consequences.

If only we lived in a world without the restrictions of cause & effect. . .

Unfortunately, we don't. We live in a just world filled with annoying people, annoying habits & bad teeth.

So, as I persevere through my bad mood, I'm reminded that bad days happen. It's how you take those bad days that counts.

For me, it's a closed office door, Hillsong & a mid-morning Margarita!