Day 63 - I Blew It

It's 7:11 a.m. and I'm once again at my kitchen table with my steaming hot cup of coffee and my Bible. It's pitch black outside still and the house has a deep chill to it. The outdoor temperature is 32 and the indoor feels slightly higher than that. I'm huddled with my extra puffy and warm red slippers on my feet while the central heat tries to make the indoor temperature comfortable.

Yesterday was an all-around good and decent day. We celebrated my coworker's 50th birthday party at work, I was very productive, and things seemed to have a very nice flow to them throughout the day.

I arrived home at 5:15, greeted my 2 year old's caregiver, discussed their fun day together, and wished her a happy weekend.

My 10 year old had already placed a pizza in the oven for dinner, so the aroma filled the house. My eldest daughter had requested time with her girlfriends at her high school football game that night, along with a sleepover.

It was going to be a quiet, seamless evening, for sure.

My husband telephoned to say he was on his way home from work and to meet him at the athletic club. It's our routine to work out together, side by side on the elliptical machines, several evenings a week. The athletic club has a large workout center, racquetball courts, saunas, plus a fabulous hot water natural spring-fed pool and accompanying lap pool. There's also a large indoor climbing and play center for children, with slides and rope ladders and a pit of balls. For the toddlers, there's a mini-version of the same with daycare providers licensed and trained.

So I dropped off my middle daughter at her play practice -- she's playing Oliver in our local theater's Christmas play, "Oliver Twist" -- and drove the youngest to the club. My youngest loves, loves, loves this place. She squeals with excitement when I ask her if she'd like to go. She's never cried when I've dropped her off to work out. In fact, she's run into the room and begun playing before I can even set down her diaper bag and sippy cup.

We arrived at 6:47 p.m., two minutes past our scheduled drop-off daycare time. I swipe our club passes and tell the front desk clerk -- a middle-aged man with no people skills -- that my 2 year old has a daycare arrangement and please print off her ticket for entry.

He says, "You're late. There's nobody here to watch her."

"But my appointment was scheduled for 6:45 and it's now 6:48. I don't understand." My toddler is running circles around my legs she's so excited.

"No, it says here that your appointment was for 6:00, and because you didn't show up on time, I sent the worker home." He's looking through his bifocals at the daycare drop-in information.

"Okay, see, I'm getting really irritated. This is the second time this month this has happend to me. You wrote down the wrong time. I couldn't possibly make it here by 6:00. I wouldn't have said 6:00. I said 6:45." My voice is cracking and I'm starting to tremble.

Front desk guy stands up tall and holds his large shoulders back and speaks to me in a very rough voice, "Even so, you're 3 minutes late!"

I'm completely ticked off now and I holler back, "Listen, this is the second frickin' time this has happend to me in less than a month...and if it happens again, I'm going to pull my membership! This is absolutely ridiculous!"

The middle-aged front desk man with zero people skills yells at me, "Hey! Quit talking to me like that!"

That's when I saw out of the corner of my eye the head of the gym sneak into her little office and close the door. She'd heard the whole thing. And instead of coming to her employee's assistance, she ducked out.

I marched myself right into her office and demanded she help me.

At least she has a few people skills, calmed the situation down, and told me that the owner of the club would call me on MOnday. Whatever. I've still driven over here, my toddler is running amok behind the desk now, pulling papers and gym equiment down off of the shelves.

My husband shows up, I explain the situation...and instead of him backing me up in my anger, he calmly says, "Oh, no big deal. I'll watch the baby in the toddler zone while you go and work out."

I wanted to run and hide. I had totally blown the WHOLE situation.

My non-Christian husband behaved in a far more Christian manner than I had! I was 100% embarassed...and 100% impressed with my husband.

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Romans 7:15. "I am not acting in a way that I would like, but I am doing the very thing I hate."

Lord, forgive me for my anger and my attitude towards the front desk employee. Help me to be more peaceful...and thank you for my husband's attitude in that situation. Amen.