The last couple days were set aside for work and recuperation. This cold hasn't left yet and I've been working on maintaining a positive attitude even when everything is going wrong. Yesterday was a prime example of this challenge. Despite how many things weren't going my way, I did my best to not see it as bad luck or as an overall shitty day. Here are the punches I rolled with that day:
My day started at 6:00 yesterday. That morning I had put on six layers of shirts and three layers of pants as well as 2 pairs of socks and winter boots yet I was still feeling the cold as it was only about 10 degrees outside and the wait lasted a good 35 minutes. I had double checked the bus schedule that morning but failed to realize that it was Presidents' Day and therefore the buses were on a much more limited schedule than usual. So, due to this wait, I was ten minutes late to work for the second time in two weeks.
During the first hour of my shift, a parakeet got loose (which luckily wasn't my fault) and I helped keep track of where it flew as a group of us worked to catch the bird. That was the best part of my day; it was amusing and the chase ended successfully.
Yesterday was my first 6 hour shift so I got to have a half hour lunch break! Yay! Sadly, I had to wait 4 and a half hours into my shift before I could get the sustenance I need ever two hours. I had my lunch a full six hours after my last meal. Honestly, I was waiting for the moment when I'd collapse from hypoglycemia and dehydration. The shift fully consisted of cleaning out cages for hamsters, gerbils, rats, chinchillas and guinea pigs with the exception of the fire alarm that went off during the last hour of my shift. We all spent about 20 minutes in the cold as we waited for a fireman to give us the all clear.
The first bus I caught to head back from work arrived right as I got to the station, so I was feeling good about the trip home. However, the second bus route proved to be a problem, again due to the fact that it was Presidents' Day, something I was about to find out after another 40 minute wait. I saw two of every bus go by and none of them were going the direction I needed. I decided to end my wait in the cold by catching the 2nd 9 bus towards Wheaton despite needing the 8 bus to Wheaton. I got off early and walked to another bus stop to wait for bus 8 which came within the next 10 minutes. This bus finally got me home a good two hours after my shift ended and I made myself some tea and had cookies.
Once the barrage of hard knocks ended, I decided not to take any of the events personally. I see this all as a test of will given the fact that I want to through-hike the Appalachian Trail. Maintaining a positive attitude after all of these types of events is a crucial skill I'll need when I experience days in which everything goes wrong while on the hike.
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