A Good Day to Stay Home

It was a perfect day for staying home, dressed in comfortable sweats, curled up on the couch drinking a hot cup of tea, and getting lost in a good book.

Perfect, except it was Thursday. 

So, instead of my warm, comfy sweats I was dressed in jeans, sweater, and boots. My couch was traded for my car, which I drove through the soaked streets to work with the wipers thumping back and forth in an effort to keep the windshield clear enough for me to see where I was going. The mild pressure I had woken up with in my head had exploded to full-blown headache almost immediately after buckling my seat belt. The ominous, dark clouds that filled the sky confirmed the forecast that called for heavy rain all day. That meant only one thing. . .rainy day recess. My head pounded harder at the thought.

Getting out of the car at work, I realized I had parked in the spot next to the sewer grate. In years past, this had proven to be a big mistake on occasion. I carefully crossed the small river that gurgled toward it and sent up a silent prayer that the grate wouldn't get clogged, resulting in a flood engulfing my car. A cold, biting wind tugged at my hood, threatening to snatch it right off my head. Holding my hood with one gloveless hand while the other clutched my purse, lunch bag, and tote bag (which I noticed belatedly I had not zipped closed), I made my way across campus, avoiding puddles as best as I could with my vision obscured by hair blowing in front of my eyes. 

Knowing that it was two hours until the first break of the day, coupled with the fact that I had drunk two cups of coffee and a glass of orange juice for breakfast, I figured it would be a good idea to visit the restroom before the first bell rang. Standing at the sink, I looked at my reflection in the mirror.  That old saying, "look what the cat dragged in," instantly flashed into my mind. Yep, I looked like I had been dragged through something. Wind and rain had rearranged my hair in a style only Cousin It could be proud of. Running my fingers through my tangled hair and pushing wayward strands out of my face, I wondered why I had even bothered to style it in the first place. It would only get worse, of course. There would be more trips to the office and to the cafeteria, giving the rain and wind multiple opportunities to work its magic.

Yes, this would have been a great day to stay home. 

But I'm glad I didn't. If I had, I would have missed the laughter as I read aloud a chapter of Marty McGuire Has Too Many Pets, and then another chapter after the kids begged for more. I would have missed seeing them come up with some truly descriptive writing after teaching them Roz Linder's "Imagine This" lesson. I would have missed seeing their smiles as I called out their names and cheered them on during the afternoon's Fun Run. I would have missed.

And my crazy hair that was blown beyond bad hair day status? No one even mentioned it.