Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Really really lousy day

You know how on some days, everything goes wrong? Well today has been one of those days. It started with accidentally downloading a malware virus onto my computer and went downhill from there.


So -- rather than wallow in pity and count the number of things that have irked, bothered, harassed, and otherwise contributed to a lousy day -- I'll do three things.

One, I'll count my blessings. Younger Daughter passed her driver's test and is now a licensed driver. Don handed me a piece of chocolate shortly after I mentioned to Older Daughter that if I was the kind of person who liked chocolate, that's what I'd want. These are blessings.


Two, I invite everyone to tell me about their really really lousy days. Nothing like a little sharing of the misery, I always say.

And three, I'm having a glass of wine as soon as I decently can. I can't quite justify it as I write this (2:50 pm).


So...let's hear it. Spill the beans on your lousiest day.

54 comments:

  1. Congrats on younger daughter getting her dirvers lience
    Debby

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  2. I have a blod clot in my calf measuring 4.5" in diameter, a dvt my doctors believe may be the largest ever found in someone with a soul and pulse. I have about a 85% chance of not waking up tomorrow, and a similar chance of having another pulmonary embolism end me before I finish this post. I was diagnosed with this clot two months ago.

    I find that any day that doesn't end with the iron taste and terror of drowning in my own blood again, well ...to be a reasonably happy one. I try to find the laughter, and forgiveness, first.

    I wish there was one bit of drama or dishonesty in my post, but there is not. Every breath leads me one less to my last...just like the breaths before my diagnosis.

    I love your posts. I've prepared a small 10x10 patch in my back yard, resting for now as the rains come. Looking forward to planting seeds, as I continue to chase sunrises.

    Your family gives me hope. Thank you.

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    1. God be with you Wayne. I pray for you, your family, and that the doctors may have wisdom and discernment.


      Steve Davis

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    2. Prayers and hugs for you friend. I don't know you...but am so sorry you have to go through this. Anyone who looks for the laughter and forgiveness in the face of such trouble..is a hero in my heart.

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  3. My first PE's were 11 years ago. Scary. After three years on Coumadin my hemotoligist tried to take me off it. Within three months more PE's put me back in the hospital. Back on coumadin for life. I wish you luck

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  4. I was driving across the country to move near my brother with cancer with a dog and my BF. My car broke down (it never could get fixed) and while I was waiting for AAA, I was told my brother was on hospice. I got another dog, I ate chocolate and drank wine (I did both today!) and I got through it with support and finding my determination again!

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  5. Worst day (in recent memory): While packing our RV for a weekend of ATV riding, we finally noticed that our two dogs, who had been running back and forth in excitement at the coming trip - had suddenly disappeared. We split up and went opposite directions to look for them. Not having any luck, I was walking back to the house when a lady stopped by in her car and asked if I were looking for two dogs. I said I was, and she told me to go to the other end of the street, something horrible had happened.

    When I got there, rather breathless, my wife was in her car sobbing and our two dogs were lying together in the busy road, in a pool of blood. A man in a pickup was also there and he and his wife were also sobbing.

    It seems our dogs, in their excitement, couldn't wait for us to finish packing and decided to head out on their own to get the fun started. They both crossed the road together and both were struck by the man in the pickup. I collapsed at the sight. But after a while, I hugged the man and his wife, telling them I did not fault them in any way.

    Animal Control came and picked up the bodies for disposal. As we were leaving, I saw the neighbor whose house we were in front of all this time, drag a garden hose out to the street and wash away the blood.

    I'll never forget that day.


    Steve Davis
    Anchorage, Alaska

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  6. Spend the rest of your days on Rat Poison that is really going to be hard to top

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  7. Ground is so dry and hard here I couldn't even get a post hole drilled out with the tractor today. When I went in to turn in my paperwork at work they had free 3 musketeers bars out so I grabbed a couple... I got the new kind with the pink nougat filling instead of the regular traditional type. Had to give them away as I hate that kind.

    My day was no where near as bad as yours. I will try and do better tomorrow.

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  8. This post might convince me to stop reading this blog. Oy

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    1. I second that....

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    2. I agree> Glad I m not the only one who feels this way

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    3. How brave of you all to criticize anonymously. You didn't have to read the comments, either.

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    4. I am fighting a losing battle with breast cancer. I had always looked forward to this post. Yes, I criticized anonymously. How long do you have to live?

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  9. My absolute worst day was when I found out my husband of almost twenty years at the time had been arrested for soliciting a prostitute. Death would have been easier than that. We survived that horrible crisis and have gone on to celebrate, truly celebrate due to the grace of God, seven more years of marriage. You never know what is just around the corner, but I can witness as to the power of forgiveness and the healing grace of Jesus Christ.

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  10. Oh, there is so much in the world - evil, hate, ugliness, tragedy. I choose to focus on the love, beauty, happiness, joy, family, in God's beautiful world. By the way, I had sepsis this summer. That was a pretty bad time.

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  11. My worst day is also a best day. It was the worst because I stood at the foot of a hospital bed and watched as my Dad coded and hospital personnel frantically tried to save his life. It was the best because after 20 minutes of CPR he was "back". We spent several tense days but long story short, 3 months later he is still with us and doing miraculously well. ~Cricket

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  12. Hitmanpro - Eset NOD32 will clean your computer and Linux Mint, gives you the option of never having to worry about Windows malware again.

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  13. Others had awful days too, but here goes.....I got an email from one of my really good students today - wouldn't make class because he had "a high fever and lots of other side effects too gross to mention" (stage 2 melanoma, just started chemo) and then, about noon, another student showed up while I was eating with colleagues and said "Do you have a minute to talk?". I went out in the hall and he was ghost white - I asked, "What's wrong?" He said "My mom just died". I helped him get his paper work for Incompletes in a couple of classes and make sure his Financial Aid would not be impacted. I told him he needed to be home with his dad and brothers. He started out like he was in shock, but soon told me about his mom and showed me pictures and was talking about her. My heart aches for both of them. Then on the way home I saw another colleague who asked how it was going.....I told him it has been better and told him why. He said "Not you too!" He had a student walk in to class yesterday and start bawling before she could sit down. He asked her what was wrong and she told him her mom had been diagnosed with terminal cancer on Friday and her dad had not stopped drinking since. My other half hates it when I "bring work home", but sometimes you can't help but hurt when your students do...... All I can do is count my blessings and pray for them all......Natokadn

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  14. PS...That was not a "selected" lousy day....that was today - November 3, 2015. Natokadn

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  15. a worst day, not Thee Worst. In July that often heard about Gap-DoNut Hole in Medicare made it's appearance in our lives. The absolutely necessary medications went from $189-$199 a month to almost $700, one entire social security check. Just for meds, just to be able to breathe. One check for meds. Shocked. We found ourselves in the food or meds category. the meds were/are more than our mortgage. Thankfully we have understanding doctors who are generous with samples for their patients. We now have the meds to get through this year. One med we had to get today was $146, just a few cents short of two hundred dollars for drug store bill today.

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  16. Wow, this is grim. I'm sorry I came here today.

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    1. You knew what was coming, and you didn't have to read the comments. Why don't you use this for good and pray for these suffering people?

      (And how brave of you to criticize anonymously.)

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  17. No, the worst day is when you lose a long term spouse. All you an do is get used to the loss.

    b g

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  18. What an excellent post - the seed that launches everyone to their own 'worst day' recollections. Any one of these can make our own seem so minimal, and knowing that these posts were their own 'max' - to be retold here.

    "Social Media" does have some redeeming qualites...

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  19. I've had bad days--both parents have died; those days were bad though neither was a surprise when it happened. Another of the worst that readily comes to mind is a multi-car accident that ended up getting tagged to me (other than my car, most received pretty minor damage). That led to stress for a while, but I also learned some things and am a better driver now. Usually something can be drawn from bad things. Patrice, you'll keep your computer's important files backed up from now on (if you don't already).

    I know I've led a very blessed life and there are many much worse things that could happen to me or those I know but have not. I hope I don't take the good times and survival of what bad times I have for granted.

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  20. Yup, we all have difficult days sometimes. HOW we handle them is what matters, not the fact that they occur!! Choose to be thankful. Remember that our very lives are gifts. Be compassionate, share love.

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  21. I am not sorry you posted this. I have had a terrible feeling in my chest for a couple months. Not the, I am sick feeling, but the something is on the horizon and there is nothing I can do about it feeling. I know things will be changing in life due to relatiosnhips, our countrys progress, or lack there of, economy, etc. I was mourning I guess. But I shared a comment on Facebook about how I was feeling. The people that love me reminded me what to look towards. Sharing our burdens is good. Even beneficial. I know other peoples lives are not wonderful all the time. When I see them write about malware, blood clots, cancer and death then I am reminded that I am not the only one suffering. I can pray for others. I can write words of encouragment. I can give hope to those that may be losing hope. No, Patrice is right to share her burdens. She blesses us with a glimpse into her life and of her family. Shame on anyone for asking her to shield us from the downside of it all.

    I am thankful for everyone who wrote in this post. I have more people to pray for, even the grumpy goats who complained.

    Ouida Gabriel

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  22. I hope the chocolate and wine helped!

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  23. The worst day of my life was the day I got a call on my cell phone from a stranger saying that my daughter had been in a head on collision. My heart dropped, until he put her on the phone. She had a cut lip and has ended up with constant pain in her rib cage that no one can tell us what it is or why she has it, or how to get rid of it. But she is alive. And in May she will finish her college degree of a Bachelors in Nursing. So my worst day was also my best. We brought her home from the emergency room and she is alive and well. I told her that all her stars were aligned and all but one of her guardian angels were on duty. I can forgive the one angel who glanced away and she has the pain, because I am not without her.

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  24. July 4, 1996, my wife (43 years old) died from a massive heart attack.

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  25. I may have really bad days sometimes, but no matter how bad things get, I'm still very blessed!

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  26. OMG Patrice - my bad days don't seem bad after reading some of these posts.
    Just an FYI about the glass of wine: "It's always 5:00 pm somewhere!"

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    1. LOL, I thought the same thing! 2:50 p.m. didn't seem that indecent to me at all....

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  27. My Tuesday was rough, but nothing like yours!
    I had to be home for a propane tank swap; instead of a 20 minute job at 9 am like I was told, it was a 3 hour job starting at 10:45 - I missed 5 hours of work I didn't want to, then when I went to vote on the way to work it turns out they moved the polling place and changed precincts so I had to go multiple places, then I couldn't get up the road to work because large truck was backing down it taking both lanes.
    But God helped the day get better from there and I had a good time with friends last night!
    Chemechie

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  28. well a week ago I was flying from Pittsburgh to Springfield MO. When I got to chicago to change planes, I was in line for Springfield MO, when the agent asked me where was I going. I told her to Springfield mo, and she said no, this ticket is for Springfield Illinois! Not only did I miss that flight, I had to pay 600 bucks to get to my destination. It spoiled my trip home knowing I ended up paying almost a thousand dollars when all was said and done, and I have no money. I am working on paying back the person who helped me....

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  29. I don't know what was going on yesterday or Monday but definitely rough days. Monday started with a sedated CT scan for my son that had everything possible go wrong, from the dr office forgetting to send the order to the hospital not putting him on the sedation schedule to their computers going down to a first time bad reaction to sedative. Oh, yeah, and the hospital releasing before he had held anything down and could sit up without a lot of assistance.
    Then I made a quick run to a nearby specialty toy store to get him a reward (Crazy Aaron Thinking Putty) with plans to head home immediately afterwards. Only to come out to a battery that wouldn't start the van. I called roadside only to have the people call me trying to get me to give them directions in an area I am completely unfamiliar with (they had the address and it was in GPS correctly).
    So my girlfriend is on the phone with me, helping me to stay calm, but we are both doing the laugh because otherwise you'd cry thing. Roadside shows up and I head to Sam's to get the battery replaced because it's under warranty. Only to find out that I will have to wait in the CS line which is 10 people deep and only has one person working.
    I broke at that point because I could not move my son out of the vehicle and I couldn't leave him alone for that long. So I called a friend who thankfully could help me. By the time she got to me, my son had recovered enough that he could sit upright without help and was no longer throwing up. So we got him in a wheelchair, went in a dealt with CS, then the tire center. And then went to sit down until everything was done.
    By the time we got home I was completely exhausted, and so was my son. And that exhaustion carried through Tuesday. I'm only now beginning to feel close to normal.
    And quite a few other friends had a similarly rough Monday. It must be something in the air.

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  30. 30 years ago my sister lost her 28 year old husband to cancer. Their only child, born premature, was in intensive care. However, God got her through those tough times. She later remarried and her 'premie' will be getting married next year. SucccotashRose

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  31. It's a tossup between the heart attack I had back in April, and the day I realized my marriage of 15 years was over (it only works if BOTH of you try). Heh! Now I'm in better shape than I've been in years, and I'm about to ask an amazing woman to be my last wife!

    Sorry that you had a bad day Patrice. Please know that you and your family are an inspiration to an awful lot of us out here. :-)

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  32. Patrice,
    I read often but comment little. I'm sorry you had a bad day but you are one the right track. Counting your blessing is a great way to overcome our trials and especially the realization that things could be worse. Maybe this will help https://donteatitsoaps.wordpress.com/2015/09/08/it-could-have-been-a-bad-day/

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  33. I'm not sure whether the day my husband left me (against my will) was worse than the day my son went to jail for 30 days (for DUI in which no one was hurt). These things happened in 2013.

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  34. Oy vay. I don't dare complain about one of my bad days after reading these comments.

    I'm reminded of that old saying, "I complained about having no shoes until I met a man with no feet."

    I still have my feet.

    Just Me

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  35. This is more like a worst event than a single day. Hubby and I relocated to be off grid in country. Bought the ideal place, on a river, well, by forest, with extra cabins for our kids/friends. Put in a great fenced garden, wood stove, attached greenhouse, big covered porch to hold a load a fire wood, etc. etc. etc. Hubbies health went south and I was doing it all: working to pay for improvements too. I didn't mind and was happy to be living the dream. But it became apparent that we could not maintain the place ourselves and our attempts at housing kids a and friends all turned out to cost us money/time and weren't much help. So we had to sell the place as soon as we had it the way we wanted it and now live in a small town. I got two types of cancer as soon as we moved here. Lucky we're closer to medical care now though. Wondering if anyone else worked on their dream only to have to abandon it.

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  36. August 21, 2015. After spending everyday for four weeks and many evenings in the VA ICU with my dad waiting for a surgery that was always preempted by patients "more emergent", my dad died, choking on a blood clot coming from the lung that had been collapsed when the docs were trying to fix him without going to surgery.
    After all those days and nights with him, I wasn't there.
    Sidetracksusie

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  37. My worst day ever... telling my then 12 and 15 year old I was leaving their father and not returning home. I had them with me, but they didn't want to live with me, he got custody. I faced an 'empty nest' way too early. Didn't know who I was anymore... no longer a wife, hardly a mother in the traditional sense. Two years of sorrow and years of growth and change. Trials, blessings, life goes on. Thank God I 'found' Jesus and claimed Him as my Savior. I don't think I would have found him if I hadn't left the Evil One (ex-husband).

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    1. You are a brave person! Bless your heart.

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  38. Linda in CO (formally Linda in SoCal)November 4, 2015 at 9:08 PM

    My worst day was just over 30 years ago. I had a beautiful baby girl, and six days later, she died of a heart defect. October 14th is a hard day for me every year. Saying goodbye to a precious newborn is the hardest thing a mother could ever have to do.

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  39. Worse day, finding out my oldest grand had leukemia. Best day, after months of praying, and an anonymous donor, finding out that same grand is for now cancer free. Not home yet, but she never gave up, nor did we or her guardian angels. Never forget to aim for the future, and know we were made human, with Heaven's promise at the end of the road. I smile every day I wake up to find the sun shining or I hear the rain pinging off the roof.

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  40. The day our 23yr. old son died

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  41. I know this post turned into a downer, but one thing I appreciate- Patrice is willing to show some of her real life online. A lot of sites I've visited leave me feeling like a big loser. All you see is perfect & beautiful, with lovely plants & perfect children & homes. My life is messier than that. I am glad of Patrice's honesty in showing us that she has messy spots in her life too. Makes me feel as though I can actually aspire to homesteading as she does even when things fail or fall apart.

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    1. I second that!


      Steve Davis
      Anchorage, Alaska

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  42. This was one of everybody's most realistic posts. I thought this is what blogging was supposed to be.

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