The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad, Day

It began with our granddaughter announcing she peed in her bed. Managed to miss the plastic-under-the-sheet deal we set up and get right to the mattress itself. Oh well. These things happen.

But that was just the beginning. The refrigerator was not keeping ice cream frozen and the dishwasher had standing water on the bottom. So Karen and I shopped at Home Depot and upgraded our appliance status. But today when they arrived, the freezer door was an open-up instead of pull-out and it had scratches on the left side of the main door. The guys delivering it all couldn’t figure out how to shut the water off so they couldn’t install the dishwasher. We went to call the local plumber and couldn’t make a call out on the ancient landline (though we regularly had received calls these past few days). The cell phone service was spotty and after walking through the woods to find the Hot-spot, we finally got through to the plumber’s number. Of course, no answer.

Things were not going well.

So it looks like once we solve the plumber issue, the delivery guys will return and we also have 48 hours to decide whether we want to exchange the refrigerator for the one with the pull-out drawer. A short little discussion about whether it’s worth it ended up in a shouting match between one of the husbands and wives (for a change, not me!).

Meanwhile, Zadie was in the bath screaming while her Mom trying to untangle her hair. Yes, there might have been a little pull, but after that, it was pure drama queen that only ended when Kerala and I threatened to cut her hair off so this wouldn’t have to happen again. Well, there were a few more screams about not cutting her hair off, but finally she came down many decibels and finished the bath without the neighbors calling 911.

The day itself keeps threatening to rain, but doesn’t and there are big waves in Lake Michigan. Turmoil without and turmoil within. Well, put 14 people together in a small house for 7 days and something is bound to explode. Especially when so many are family members with 10,000 stories that can be fun, but also bring up a lifetime of wounds and conflicts and the usual family dynamics.  

Finally, we all had the good sense to get the heck out of the house and head down to the lake and ride the turbulent waves, finding the fun in it all. Both a metaphor and the real thing, learning to not only accept, but even enjoy the inevitable churning of the waters and go along for the ride, even when it slams you down into the sand.

And if that doesn’t work, there’s the comforting thought that tomorrow is another day.