The Cosmic Joke

When I was a junior in college close to end of the year finals I was starting my plan for the finals season..... I had taken a double course load.... which while a juggling act had actually gone alright. Then as I laid out my plans it hit me in horror. I had 2 weeks of literally no time between papers, and research projects and assignments..... they always pile the assignments at the last minute. I calculated and figured and planned trying to even find time to sleep.... I had to count minutes to do research and plan out study time ... it became so bad I was planning how many minutes I had to walk between classes because I needed extra minutes to make up for from work. Yes, I posted a note because my friends feared a meltdown. I had no time to talk or call or eat or breathe I barely had time to catch 3 hours of sleep or shower. Several friends were horrified that I could have so much work, some even offered to do some of it for me .... I didn't take them up on the offer. In the end I didn't have to time my between class time and I did get 4 hours of sleep one night. Thanks to a helpful librarian who pointed me to some more condensed books for research ( days before the Internet resources here people..... we still had a card catalog with little cards to get our books ). I passed my classes with A's and B's and did well on all but one exam.......

Little did I know my organization skills would be more valuable than the information when I had twins :)

Now with 4 kids and T especially I have to plan organize and schedule to the point I fear I might loose all free fun. T has so many appointments and sessions and special workshops that when I actually add up appointment time I am shocked at how often it adds up to full time job hours. I am fortunate here thanks to experience and sheer will I have whittled it down to 14 hours a week. That doesn't include drive time. Almost everyday there is something on the books and it barely leaves room for life's unexpected "crises" you know those random problems that blindside you on a Tuesday that will take you till Thursday to solve because it hinges on the competency of another actually doing their job. When it isn't appointments it is household stuff like cleaning and dry cleaning and grocery shopping or piano lessons or......etc.....

So the point of this mundane tale is that when a "free" day appears on the calender I practically squeal with delight at the mere thought that we might be able to do something wild and spontaneous. Usually if I see this coming I start to plan a "trip" or event ... this Summer my luck has not been all that great with "wild " adventures...... remember the lake....
This week Wednesday was wide open nothing nothing at all. Imagine my delight and it was the last week of summer vacation we had to do something. It had been a crazy week already ( yes it was only Wednesday) So low key was the plan. The kids had been so well behaved the planets were aligning at least on that one. The pool H, P & S had been begging to go and between the horrible heat and the limits on the number of people let in it had been impossible to get there.
YEAH a whole day to have fun be together and be "normal " and go to the pool.....
you know the saying the road to....... is paved with good intentions.

I woke up around midnight in pain ( I still have a bruise) I couldn't sleep so in the morning I called the doctor.... I had to be seen ..... of course because a day without some sort of appointment would just be to normal...... after 4 hours in the clinic and one very rude nurse asking really silly questions I had a new round of antibiotics. The conversation with the nurse was so ridiculous and I was so upset at having to go to a Doctors appointment on "my day off" I actually got into a sarcastic conversation with the nurse..... it was lost on her and the conversation took some turns that were humiliating to me I wanted to smack her... but I didn't... I did however let her know I was displeased......... while dealing with this new situation at hand ( the loss of 2 lab samples and a mix up with a prescription) I was also going to our insurance office because on Monday someone screwed up a small piece of paperwork that nullified 3 months of work ... so we were starting over and it required 3 different trips to one office hours of waiting at another 6 phone calls and it still isn't fixed....... and I was taking phone calls about another situation for T on the cell phone ( which I hate) I made it home in time for lunch ...... so much for a fun lazy breakfast with the 3 little ones........

2 More phone calls that were so urgent I didn't get to eat lunch with them either..... another trip to base ( thank goodness it is a 15 minute trip)...... and 3 more calls about stuff that is messed up for T. I felt like the cosmos didn't want me at the pool.....

H, P & S were soooooooo excited about going to the pool they had been wearing their swimsuits since 10 am and the pool opens at 1......

Stories about going with me cheers when I came in and out happy little giggles and so excited to spend time with me.......

Then came a call from Sam... oh yes some complete idiot had violated about 7 laws and there was an exposure issue... and a safety issue and my husband was now in a situation while not life threatening.... defiantly questionable..... After directing him where to go to fill out the incident report..and fielding 3 more phone calls..... We were headed to the pool.......

I made it to base and knew I wasn't going to the pool until I stopped to make sure the issue with Sam was ok..... Now since we have arrived there have been about 100 paperwork glitches with T and our insurance and our records and meds and ...and.... every time something comes up there is a MSGT who we deal with a great guy really funny and he is constantly amazed at how it seems the "rare & unusual" things seem to happen with us.. once maybe but as many times as they happen statistically being hit by lightning might happen before all of this ( he obviously has no idea what the odds are for us and the unusual)... So Sam was in his office..... Now due to construction his office was in one location on the far corner of the clinic where few people ventured ( I had no idea it had moved to the main area)..... So I went into the clinic in my swimsuit with a skirt on and flip flops...... my hair was a mess..... we were going to the pool and when applying sunscreen on S ...P decided to help me by putting a handful in my hair....... so once I tromp through the area where usually no one is.... Of course today it was packed and tons of people were in the hallway I mean a good 20-30 people in a remote tiny hallway..... all watching me in my swimsuit/ skirt combo and flip flops..... and not any flip flops mind you but my foam ones I do yard work in and go to the beach in...... oh yes....... ( why couldn't this happen the 100 other times when I am dressed in a dress or skirt wearing cute shoes and looking like I have some semblance of order)....... so after the walk of shame..... ( and not the college kind)......
I made it to the office...which was no longer his office.......

back through the hallway of staring people...... back through the main part of the clinic which at midday is full of close to 100 people...... up the stairs...around corners....... thankfully the MSGT found me and rescued me and took me through a maze of back hallways.. knowing I was looking for him.....

We all had a good laugh at how we were back in his office with some weird thing going on and how funny all of this was because everything is so ridiculous.... and of course my outfit and how spectacular it was......

when along comes a flight surgeon and 2 other people involved in the incident ( the lowest ranking was a MSGT).......oh yes and remember I was going to just check in on Sam and the new paperwork mess regarding the incident...... nice.. so the first time I meet all of these people I look like a mis matched swamp thing.........in a swimsuit in a clinic with flip flops...... I mean seriously I couldn't make this up if I tried I am a comedy writers dream for material...... even the worst dress list in a fashion magazine would have shied away from me.......

1 hour later 3 more people and another walk through the clinic.........

I made it to the car where Nan and the kids had been waiting...... remember to pool...... 2 out of 4 kids was crying..... there was some sort of dispute...... and it was now 30 minutes from the time we had to leave the pool to go home to make the new recipe together for dinner.......

Still reeling from the incident Sam had been involved with..... and the walk of shame...and the crying kids.... and the fact I had been to the clinic 8 times in one day........ I debated whether I was receiving a message......

The pool was out....... Nan got a small inflatable pool... I poured over the calender nearly in tears because i wasn't sure there would be another "free" day for fun..... I sooooooooo wanted to go to the pool I miss the water and the fun.... 4 crying kids one sad mom drove home....... little kids had fun in the little pool on the porch...dinner was a huge hit...7 more phone calls...2 more urgent matters..and a humiliating conversation....... and we hadn't even hit 7 o'clock.......

so I wonder if somehow I am part of some cosmic joke...... the past 3 months have been like this.... in the grand scheme of things I have a lot to be thankful for. I have so many things a house my family, food...... but really when it seems that every second has to be accounted for to someone somehow and the hamster wheel keeps turning... I just can't help but wonder when the cosmic joke will end.....