Mop girl.

Hi all.

Last week I had a meeting to attend uptown (also known as downtown for the rest of us not born and raised here in Charlotte). I climbed up into our enormous Red Cross Suburban and began my venture to the meeting. I think I hit just about every red light. I finally got to the right street only to realize that upon taking the right turn "suggested" by the directions in hand, I was probably heading in the wrong direction. I turned around, stopped and asked for some help. Being informed that it was "right up the street" I decided to park in the closest parking ramp. I drove around and around and around, even attempted to park in the compact car slots in the parking ramp (bad idea) - although so is going around and around in a parking garage in a huge Suburban but you know, I try.

Eventually, I landed myself a nice little spot to park and luckily found myself on an elevator to maneuver me downwards to the street - which only plopped me out on the wrong street. A wonderful man kindly guided me to the street I wanted to be on. I found 735 West Fifth Street and 755 West Fifth Street, but there was no 740 West Fifth Street to be found. I asked around, even called information. I kept thinking to myself, Is this some sort of Harry Potter movie where I just have to run into the brick walls of this building and I'll magically end up on 740 West 5th Street? I didn't try to see if my thinking was true, simply opted out of attending the meeting (rather retrieve the information via email) and began making my way back to the parking garage.

After being turned around and having difficulties even finding the parking garage, I took a sharp 180 turn heading back towards my car's destination, only to have a car quickly jolt on its breaks to keep from hitting me. The driver politely waved me on. I took three steps forward, my arm briskly rising up as it passed my body. As my hand swung up to eye level it came to my attention that my parking ticket was no longer in my hand. Apparently with the swoosh of my arm, so too, was the swoosh disappearance of my ticket (which had only seconds before been in my hand). I began twirling in circles like a dog chasing its tail looking for this "imaginary" ticket (or at least imaginary is what it must have appeared to the driver sitting there watching me). With no luck of finding the ticket, I waved the driver on his way and ventured onward to the parking garage elevator.

Luckily the lady on the elevator on my way down had told me to remember that I was on the butterfly floor. Yes, the butterfly floor. I got off on the butterfly floor, walked all around, and no Red Cross Suburban in sight. I walked up to the centipede floor and down to the ladybug floor and still no suck luck. As I was hopelessly, mopishly, walking around I glanced to the right only to spot the Red Cross Suburban through a window in the cement wall. With the way the garage was set up, if I went up I would go over the suburban and if I went down I would go under. In order to get to the suburban, the only option (that I could tell of) was to climb through the window. I opted into taking that option, hiked up my pink cotton skirt, and scaled the cement wall with my pink rubber rain goulashes, climbed over the window sill, and dropped myself down onto a nearby vehicle, with fingers-crossed that I wouldn't set off the car alarm.

Down I went, floor by floor. Squeezing my way downwards past all the other cars going upward (seems to be that most of the morning traffic was arriving to work not leaving...go-figure). I thankfully, and successfully, made it to the bottom floor to read: Lost Parking Ticket Go to Cashier Floor. I turn around. Head back up. I get to the cashier, state my issue. He says, "lost ticket, $10" as he scrolls his eyes downward to a sign that reads, "Lost ticket $10." I ask if they accepted credit cards. He said, "No." As I began scrolling through my purse (really to serve as a hiatus in talking with him, as I stalled in hopes that he would reconsider the amount owed) He then let up the gate. I began to say something to the effect of, "Well, are you suuu." - He closed the window on my face...and away I drove.

Yesterday, I had a situation where a landlord attacked both my character and my work abilities. Though I had the support of my supervisor and my supervisor's supervisor, by the end of the day I had still managed to leave a small pool of tears at my desk.

Dry-eyed, I left work for a brief stop at home to put on my "Keg Patrol" tee shirt and jeans and make my way over to the Red Hot Turkey Trot Fundraiser for Red Cross. Upon my arrival, I find out that the Turkey Trot is not a run (though that's what it is for me back home. Thanksgiving we do a turkey trot, Easter is our bunny hop, ha). Anyway, this Turkey Trot was not a run. It was an extremely formal event and I found myself in jeans and hiking boots. (It was raining. I figured I was pretty smart gearing all up for the bad weather as I thought the event would be held in outdoor tents). No, it was held in the lobby of one of the finest buildings in uptown. No big deal, a little out of place, but just a minor detail as there were a few other "Keg Patrol" volunteers dressed in similar out-of-place outfits. Problem though, I don't end up doing Keg Patrol. Rather, they ask if they can shift my assigned volunteered position and send me to the will call table. So I sit, with all these beautiful (beautifully dressed up) people walking in, taking will call tickets.

After a while, the incoming flow of guests had dissipated and I decided to go scope out the place. I travel down the elevators, make my way around, and am asked to find a mop. No biggie! I find a mop. As it drips a bit I decide to take the yellow rolling bucket with me as well. I push my way through the sardine, nicely-dressed, gathering of people and mop up a few drops of water. As I began rolling my way back with the mop and bucket I run into the CEO of our Red Cross Chapter. I quietly commented something about "gotta love the mop ha ha." As the CEO passed by, just enough to be behind me about a foot, I gallantly dumped the yellow bucket of water onto the floor hitting many of the guests with a wave of water. With gallons of water gushing about, hitting every person within a 20 foot radius and girls screaming and jumping up out of the way in their nice little outfits, I'm pretty sure Lake Michigan and all of its entirety was strewn about the floor at that moment. And I'm pretty sure this must have caused a ripple effect of motion throughout the massively populated area. My mop, being completely soaked served only as a way of spreading the water about, splashing the people even more. A few minutes later as I sat there head down, mopping up my mess, a rescue crew arrived to finish cleaning up the disaster. Ha, I'm pretty sure the Red Cross operates on disaster prevention and preparedness. Not sure how much I helped out the Red Cross mission.

So why am I sharing this? Besides the fact that I'm hoping that you can perhaps get a slight chuckle out of my embarrassing and quite horrific situation? Because at the end of the night I was able to call my mom and have a really good hard laugh about it all - I'm living for something more than prestige and power. I'm living to live life abundantly.

Life is crazy. It's frustrating. It's confusing. It's difficult. Sometimes it's black. Sometimes it's white. Sometimes it offers situations that are a million shades of grey. Relationships aren't perfect, as demonstrated by my situation with the landlord. Moments don't go as planned. Things change. But at the end of the day, God is, was, and is to come. His faithfulness endures forever. Morning will come. This too shall pass. God is good.

And, speaking of good. The good news is, morning did come, and we had a farewell breakfast for one of our employees. Everyone, including the CEO had a good hard laugh at "mop girl."

So whatever it is today that has you feeling like you don't make the cut, embarrassed, frustrated, feelings of failure, anger...let go and live in it all. Live every moment, even the unexpected, unpleasant ones. Live the emotions life entails. Live it all anyway.

Cheering you on with an empty bucket of water in yesterday's past, laughs for today, and hope for tomorrow.

May you live each moment of your life.

Kaylee