Somedays Are Just Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad.

Ever have one of those days when you wish you could just eat a batch of chocolate pudding and go back to bed? Or move to another country like Australia?

Yeah, that was my Wednesday. It was a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

I had waited for a certain envelop to come in the mail. As much as I would have loved to have been waiting for a check, or a contract, it was more like a ticket. A speeding ticket.

The first day of our road trip last summer Jack, our 16 year old, and I spend 12 hours making the 8 hour trip to Northern California. Two accidents caused delays and put us into L.A. traffic that crawled through an endless sea of cars and trucks, followed by endless miles of road construction.

When we got closer to our destination I exited of the interstate, and stopped at an intersection before proceeding. When I flipped on my bright lights I must have also hit the resume button.

The needle on the speedometer zipped to 70. Realizing what I had accidentally done, I tapped on the brake.
That was also the second Jack informed me of a police car with a radar gun pointed in our direction.

Are there moments in your life that you replay over and over. That is one of mine. It was a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

The ticketing officer cited me for going 15 miles over the speed limit and when I asked him how much it was going to be, he told me to not worry. “You will receive something in the mail.”

I waited. And waited. Nothing arrived, but why would I doubt a gun toting, badge wearing, Law Enforcement Officer? I waited some more.

This would also be a great place to add in the fact that I had not told John, my husband, about the ticket. In my mind, I thought I would wait until I knew what the total was. OK..that was a very, very bad idea.

When something came in the mail, it looked much different than what I had anticipated. It wasn’t a copy of what I signed with the amount due and address or where I should send it.

In a box at the top were the letters FAILURE TO APPEAR…we have added $300.00.. possible revoked license.

WHAT!?

It was a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. And it wasn’t even noon,

I called the number at the top of the green FAILURE TO APPEAR letter.

“Hi this is Marci Seither, I was waiting until I got something in the mail and just received a letter..” The person on the other line hung up. I called again, thinking we might have been disconnected. “Hi, this is Marci Sei..” CLICK.

I called again and this time the call went straight to a recorded message stating, “Sacramento County no longer mails out courtesy notices.” It was a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

I couldn’t breathe. There must have been a mistake. I had just tucked away the original ticket because I was waiting for the real thing to show up in our mailbox. I put it somewhere for safe keeping..and promptly forgot where that place was. It was a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

“Sorry,” was the response I received. “You can’t trust what you are told by a ticketing officer. There is a small number that you can look up your fine and you are obligated to take care of it.”

If I can’t trust a Law Enforcement person that I will get something in the mail, why should I trust him that I was speeding?

My world crumbled. I wondered how I would look in an orange jumpsuit. Did they have Grandma’ visitation days in the slammer?

I didn’t know what to do. It was a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

I called Sue. A friend I trusted, who I knew would be able to answer a few questions as well as ask her husband who had retired from a career in Law Enforcement. As soon as I heard her voice I started bawling. She patiently listened and helped me untangle the mess I had found myself in. She understood that financially it hurt, but emotionally it hurt as well. It was a perfect example of empathy from one close friend to another. A sisterhood.

Was I was going to have to pay the huge amount, plus have it on our insurance, or take a day off of work, book an airplane ticket, appear in court, and pay anyway? When John called he knew something was wrong.

I spilled the beans. It was a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

Then, I left to pick up Jack at school, but my battery was totally dead because I had left the lights on. It was a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

After I dropped Jack off at football practice I decided to stop at the grocery store. I was ready to check out when I realized I had left my credit card at home and only had about $1.82 in my purse.

Nothing like looking like a post-crying mess and having the clerk announce, loud enough for the lines on either side of you, that a supervisor is needed for void and hold your cart until payment is received to add to your shame. It was a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

Thankfully, the day came to an end. Even bad days have a time limit. I fell into bed exhausted. But, in a small way, I felt thankful.

My daughters had both told me.”Ohh, Mom! I am so sorry.” Which helped me feel listened to.

My friend Sue said, “How can I help you?” Which made me feel cared for.

My husband said, “I wish you had told me sooner.” Which made me not feel alone.

Even the clerk at the grocery store told me,”It happens.” Which made me feel better. Not much, but at that point every little bit counted.

Note to self.. Sometimes we need to reach out and be able share our burdens with other. Sometimes we need to be the friend someone can call and lean on. However, a little homemade chocolate pudding never hurts, especially on those Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Days.

Since I had been thinking about chocolate pudding. I decided to try some. I had never made homemade chocolate pudding before, but after making this super simple recipe I am pretty sure I found a new family favorite!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you, no matter WHAT kind of day you are having. Deut 31:8.