Day 29: Letting It Ride

Do you ever have the feeling that the cosmos are determined to work against you? That karma is a big bully just waiting to trip you on your way to the bathroom? I felt like that last night, and again this morning.

It all started with the simple idea of moving the medicine cabinet. Dom and I used to be really good about taking our daily vitamins and supplements, and then I got shingles and we just haven’t been back on track since. In an effort to renew the former habit, I had to tackle the medicine cabinet. Before yesterday, any time we opened the medicine cabinet (which is a tiny upper kitchen cabinet next to the oven) AT LEAST two bottles would fall out on us, making the whole idea of even opening the cabinet door, much less digging to find the Mylanta, a real burden. In short, with each ailment we had to decide if we wanted a cure badly enough to be attacked by flying ibuprofen.

So I had this all-too-clever idea of moving the cabinet to a larger cabinet, a chore that consumed more of the evening than I had allotted to it, as seems to always be my predicament. In the midst of relocating everything, my countertops were littered with every drug we own, as I scanned for expiration dates and ingredients, determining on a bottle-by-bottle basis if we actually needed to keep them.

At some point I needed a potty break and Mabel (the dog) took that opportunity to help herself to the Zyrtec. By the time I realized she had absconded with something, I could only estimate that she had consumed 10-15 tablets. I spent the next 45 minutes conversing with Animal Poison Control and forcing Mabel to puke. It was a lovely evening.

By the way, I must say that Animal Poison Control operators are truly wonderful. 1-888-426-4435. The call costs $65, and it was worth every penny. They assign you a case number, and they give you time to treat the animal and call them back for follow-up. They told me every detail I needed to know, and said for me to call back if Mabel experienced X, Y, or Z. If you ever need to call them and end up going to the vet too, you just take the case number with you so that your vet can talk to their vets and toxicologists. They rock!

So is it any wonder that I came downstairs this morning to face unfolded laundry and a dishwasher to unload? I started to get aggravated with myself, and then remembered what caused my delay in productivity. I have got to start letting myself off the hook easier. Instead of analyzing the past to see where my mistakes live, I have to accept the present and determine how to move forward with what I have right now. Last night could have ended so much worse – I have to be grateful for the results, and then learn to be grateful for the experience as a whole. Our household will barely notice if the clothes aren’t folded; our household would be devastated without Mabel.