There is an adage that says, “Some days you're the dog and some days you're the fire hydrant.” Every once in a while, I am reminded of just how true that old saying is. You all know me well enough by now to know that I do my best to remain optimistic. I always try to approach things “from the sunny side,” one could say. But there are some days.
I have experienced some of those days here recently. It began early Monday morning as I was on my way to work. I was actually on pace to be here on time, if not a few minutes early when I approached a big semi-trailer blocking both lanes of traffic. I sat there momentarily, assessing the full situation and decided to turn around and take a slightly different route to work. I promptly called and informed the necessary people that I would likely be a few minutes late, even by my standards. I can honestly say a bright side to all this is I work for some wonderfully understanding folks and I knew I did not need to worry about any extra pressure. I finally arrived to my work destination. When I came in, I had in my mind just what I needed to do in order to be “caught up” on the sports activities of the weekend. Then, I was reminded of another old adage, “The best battle plans never survive first contact with the enemy.” (Not that I consider anyone around here an “enemy,” that's just the way the adage goes.) I was tasked with writing the kind of story that none of us want to write. A very nice and respectable young man had tragically passed away over the weekend and I was to write the story. I do my best when given those assignments to do the story justice with sensitivity and care. Still, it gets tough. Then, there were the small, and fairly consistent interruptions that always seem to cause a temporary derailment. As the afternoon began to draw to a close, I suddenly realized there was a municipal government meeting I needed to cover that evening. I should have known this meeting was going to last nearly three hours, because it had been “a fire hydrant kind of day.”
Tuesday rolled around, as it often does after Mondays, and I bravely ventured back into the fray. Fortunately, there were no semi-trailers blocking my travel lanes on my way to work. The day continued to be somewhat frazzled, but it was not as bad as the previous day. There were still interruptions. There were still obligations to be met. In spite of everything, some progress was made.
Through all this, I realized something. Even on the seemingly worst of days, a new friend can be made. In the most difficult of times, an opportunity to help someone else can present itself and take one's mind off one's own troubles. Even if it's a day in which you're the hydrant; if it's a cold morning, you can at least look forward to a little something to warm you up, courtesy of the big dog from down the road. There's always a brighter moment on its way, here on the sunny side.