A Day of Insanity, Part 1

Oh, Hashem yishmor. Today was so absolutely insane, and so absolutely never-ending, that I am almost surprised that I'll soon be sleeping. Ah, sleeping, in my warm, soft bed, hopefully dreaming of tomorrow's lesson, since I didn't yet prepare for it and I'm really not planning to. Just in case I fall asleep while writing the mini-epic that is today, I will continue, be"H, on the morrow.

The day began very pleasantly, although very early. I woke up before the crack of dawn to get ready (aka beautified) for a relative's bris. A very big event. A very early event. Anyway, after a five minute pre-dawn temper tantrum about the lack of anything suitable to wear to the very first spiritual event of the new baby boy, to the event I went. I was slightly early -go figure. The bris was filled with family, friends, food, and the ever-present-for-bris-milahs Eliyahu. Of course, I didn't quite catch a glimpse of the holy navi, but his presence was felt. I davened for certain, important, personal matters under my breath and later consumed two plates of fresh fruit. I felt very accomplished as I left the shul....

To drive to the new mother's house with a car full of relatives, and then back to my place to change out of my heels (ouch), where by walking barefoot I mysteriously received a very large splinter beneath my toe (even oucher), which was later removed by my nurse-aunt back at the new mother's house, where we all hung around for about an hour and shmoozed. (take a breath) Then I drove a full car of people and luggage to Laguardia, which was only the second time I ever drove there, and returned to the five towns for a quick lunch with other family members, who drove with me back to the new mother's house -where we dropped off her daughter whom we just picked up from school. (breath)

Then it was off to Laguardia again, but not without first stopping at the train station to drop off more family, and we reached the airport safely. I left the airport, sans other family members, with a cd blasting verses of tehillim to keep me alert, which obviously didn't achieve its objective since I accidently went in the opposite direction and ended up having to cross a bridge, pay a toll, and land myself in Harlem, an hour away from home with no gas in the tank and no food in my belly, which I rectified as I finally made my way back in the right direction -the gas, not yet the food -paying the toll and crossing the bridge again, getting caught in traffic and dreaming of my home and coffee, which I then bought at dunkin donuts and was summarily summoned to my friend working nearby to pick up coffee for her, also, which I did. (breath)

After breathing and shmoozing with her for an hour, it was finally time to get stuff done, yet again, so we were off to amazing savings to buy materials for a school project, which we didn't buy because we didn't have the school note for the discount, so that remains for tomorrow, but we did afterwards go to the jewish bookstore and buy a cd -for fun- and other materials -for work -and after that we dashed to Macy's, bought more materials for work, lost one expensive earring, said "the passuk" and still didn't (yet) find it, left dejectedly, ran to the kosher grocery store, bought groceries (duh), and realized it was 8:00 -a full ten hours since last I parked my car and was home. So I went home, but not before picking up my friend's friend to go to my friend's house and then dropping them both off at my friend's house. (breath)

I walk in the door and kvetch aloud, eliciting empathic remarks from my roommate, who then delivers news to me which isn't bad news that you wouldn't want to happen because you know it's for the best, but the kind of news that would make you curl up and cry. Which, I admit, I did. And I want to do again. But I shoved it out of my mind, made myself dinner, and did some work. Not all, but I am no superwoman.

Or am I? Was today a normal day? No, not really, not with a simcha in the morning and a blow in the gut at night. But days like this one do happen all the time, to everyone, to me. It was a day of thanking Hashem, begging Hashem, requesting from Hashem, crying to Hashem. My shacharis was shortened and my mincha was lost somewhere around the Triborough bridge, but it was a very spiritual day. How could it not have been? The best and the worst of days always are.

Good night, and good luck.
-Okee