How the Worst Day Became the Best

I am only human. I am only human. I am only human. These are words, a mantra in no perfectionist’s lexicon, mine included. I am super-woman; hear me roar. Show me a task I can’t master, a problem I can’t solve, a mountain I can’t climb . . .

But there is one tiny glitch. It has been plaguing me since middle school.

S – C – A – T – T – E – R – B – R – A – I – N

Let us reminisce. In 1993 Canton Middle School had A and B elective days. For instance, on A days I had PE, and on B days I had French. I was studious, and I never forgot to do my homework. I prided myself in doing the absolute best in school I possibly could. My problem was I could never keep up with which elective day it was. I would leave the house on Monday morning thinking I had French only to realize once I got to school that I needed gym clothes for PE. I would call my dad, and he would drop my clothes off for the fortieth time that school year. He never fussed at me nor complained about my “forgetfulness” as he called it. It was a different story with my mom. I am sure she badgered me about keeping up with dates and events precisely because doing so was (and as you will see, still is) a weakness of mine. Unfortunately, all the nagging in the world has done nothing to alleviate my scatterbrainedness . . .

Let us flash forward to yesterday, Tuesday, March 23, 2010, seventeen years since my middle school days. The day began like any other. Casey and I lay in bed at 6 am listening to Johnny stir and then babble pleasantly for ten minutes before whimpering for us to come and get him out of his crib. This is one of the sweetest and most dear parts of our day. Casey brought Johnny into our bed, and we snuggled him between us for a few minutes before Da-da had to get ready for work. I continued on with the morning routine of feeding, bathing, dressing, playing with, and eventually putting Johnny down for his morning nap.

After Johnny was snoozing, I treated myself to a ten-minute facebook fix and made a mental note to check my work email, which I do not do very often now since I am still on maternity leave. I needed to double-check the time for my meetings at the county’s Central Office the following two days. As McDowell County’s teacher of the year last year, it was my duty to chair the committee for this year’s teacher of the year selection process.

I had arranged for Ann, my mother-in-law, to keep Johnny while I worked on Wednesday and Thursday, but I could not remember what time I had to be there each day. I opened my email with the intention of jotting down the times and calling Ann to let her know when I would drop off Johnny.

My reminder email read “8-3 on Tuesday, March 23 and 11:30-5 on Wednesday, March 24.” I jotted the times down and went to peek in on my sleeping baby. Just as I touched the doorknob, my stomach sank. Tuesday? Did the email say Tuesday? What is today? Today is Tuesday! I am the chair of the committee, last year’s county teacher of the year, and I am at home at 10:45 on a day when I should have been at work at 8. How humiliating! All of this internal dialogue took place in less than a second, and then I dashed back down the hall to the computer. I looked at the note I made myself last week, the one reminding me of the meetings. Oh no! Just as I feared! I wrote down Wednesday and Thursday instead of Tuesday and Wednesday. This is the story of my life . . . and this is only the beginning of the day’s drama.

I frantically called Ann who was at school teaching her ninth grade World History class. When I got no answer after a few tries, I called the school to have her paged. Busy. Hang up. Dial again. Busy. Hang up. Dial again. Busy. This pattern repeated for ten minutes until I called Casey who was also at school teaching his eighth grade Health class. By this point I was in a tizzy to say the least, so as soon as Casey answered, I told him I had really messed up, only I didn’t say it quite so politely. And who hasn’t said a “bad word” in front of his or her significant other? No big deal, right? In my case, wrong! Very, very wrong! Casey said he accidentally pressed a wrong button when answering the phone, and every kid in his class heard my profanity. That wrong button was apparently speakerphone. Beautiful, just beautiful!

In the end Ann saved me. She got a substitute teacher to come in for her, and she left work to baby-sit for me. Not all women can honestly say they have a great mother-in-law. Not all women can get along well with their mother-in-law. I am so fortunate. I can say and do both. I have a gracious, loving mother-in-law who adores her grandson. Yesterday is not the first time she has rescued me, and I am sure it will not be the last. I will remember these times when my son is married. I will know how to be a good mother-in-law because of Ann.

The title of this post is “How the Worst Day Became the Best,” and barring Ann's rescue, I have written only about the worst so far. So what about the best? After coming home and while on the verge of angry-at-my-stupid-self tears, I was feeding Johnny his dinner of sweet peas and carrots when he said “Ma-ma.” I looked at Casey and said, “What did he say?” Then, as if to answer my question, Johnny looked at me and said, “Ma-ma.” I could not hold back the tears any longer. I cried because I was embarrassed over my mistake. I cried because my pride was bruised. I cried because I inconvenienced my mother-in-law. I cried because I am not perfect, which I already knew but has never stopped me from trying to be anyway. Most of all, I cried because my heart was so full of love. I know Johnny probably does not know what “ma-ma” means yet, but I do not care. It does not change the sweetness of hearing him say it. I have been waiting for this moment ever since Johnny said “da-da” over a month ago, ever since I found out I was pregnant, and it could not have happened on a better day. I wish I had the words, but they exist only in my heart.

And that is how the worst day suddenly became the best day.