Today I’m thankful for 4 minutes sitting alone in my car drinking a Coke Zero.

11.1.2021

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Today was … a day. A real doozy of a day. There shouldn’t be school the day after Halloween. There, I said it. I would gladly tack on an extra day to the end of the school year to avoid having school on the day after Halloween.

The details of the school day aren’t important, but it was definitely a challenging one. I was go-go-go all day and was certainly eager for the 3:15 bell to ring this afternoon. I had a parent/teacher conference after school and then I spent about 45 minutes getting organized for the rest of the week and putting away anything and everything that even slightly resembled Halloween. I left school later than I’d hoped/intended, but still with enough time to make a quick stop at Dollar Tree on my way home, have about half an hour at home to eat a quick dinner, throw the ball a few times for Barkley and leave in time to make it to my retreat team meeting at 6:30. At least that was the plan.

But, when I got to the Dollar Tree parking lot, I realized I didn’t have my phone. I dumped my purse and searched under the seats in my car. No phone. I emptied my pockets – a late pass, 2 paper clips and a spider ring, but no phone. I knew it was likely on my desk in my classroom. I considered for a minute just leaving it there and getting it the next day, but I knew the worrier in me would likely not sleep all night fretting that a loved one was trying to get a hold of me with an emergency while my phone was vibrating silently on my teacher desk miles away.

So, I skipped the Dollar Tree. I was close to home, so I stopped in to grab some food to eat in the car and to give Barkley a treat. Then I drove all the way back to school (in the opposite direction of my retreat team meeting), totally convinced the whole drive that I was going to get a flat tire or have a fender bender on my way and not be able to call anyone for help. I made it to school, unlocked the gate, and hurried to my classroom. I was relieved to find my phone on my desk, just where I’d left it. I glanced at the clock and decided that if I really hurried I could maybe hit a Dollar Tree on my way to my meeting. In a moment of pure genius, I remembered that there was a Coke Zero in my classroom refrigerator, left over from the APT luncheon last week. I grabbed it and hurried to my car.

I made it to Dollar Tree, where I ran in, grabbed the 2 items I needed, and ran out. Then I hustled to my retreat meeting, pulling into a parking spot at precisely 6:23. I realized at this point that I hadn’t stopped to take a breath since approximately 7:30 this morning. So I sat. In the parking lot. Alone. And I drank my Coke Zero. In silence. And I breathed. For 4 whole minutes.

I still had 3 minutes to spare and was able to walk calmly into my meeting – on time and truly present.

The majority of my day was a whirlwind, but it ended on a high note, thanks in part to those 4 minutes of caffeine-guzzling, deep breath-taking, self-regulating calmness that I forced myself to take. And for that, I am thankful.