Refocused

Today I am refocused. Perhaps it's the coffee in my system, but it's a Monday so it's likely that a force more powerful than that is needed and at work. It began as any other unlucky Monday- I woke up and made breakfast for myself and my little brother, who continues to remind me that his 12th birthday is tomorrow and what he would like for breakfast then. I prefer to wake early because the morning, he is not my friend so I need extra time each day to laze about and get to know him all over again. I made my coffee and my lunch and a snack and a water bottle…at any given time I'm walking around with enough food and water in my bag to feed a small army. And then the problems began. My gas take was screaming to be refueled, and on the mile-long trip to the closest gas station, I managed to spill my coffee on the leather seat of my car and on my bag. Quite an accomplishment for such a short trip. So I arrived at the gas station, sold a kidney for just enough gas money to half-way fill my tank, and cleaned my small mess. No sooner had I pulled out of the station and gotten a little ways up the road then I realized I'd spilled coffee on my white shirt- twice! As I pulled onto the interstate, I fumed at the thought that I would have to wait for a while until I could fix it and by that time surely the coffee would turn into a stain. As I became increasingly angrier at my one ally in turning on me during my time of greatest vulnerability, I thought that possibly I could pour my water on my shirt and thereby keep the coffee from drying in and creating stains. So as I swerved across several lanes trying to save my shirt while in turn endangering my life, I imagined how humorous (in hindsight) it would be if a cop was unlucky enough to pull me over on this morning. Surely my temper would get the best of me and that would never end well. But as I settled in a single lane (and could almost hear the collective sigh of relief from the cars following mine) I began to feel better about this day…maybe it was the coffee rushing through my veins and curing the inner wounds of a Monday like a healing balm. But I think it was more than that- only God could salvage my mood on this day. The thing that began to turn my mood was that I began to imagine writing about these events, and immediately my day turned around. It was then that I realized how much of a relief it is to me to write…how calm I feel just when I plan to write- not to mention when I sit down to actually do it. As I'm writing now in my politics class, the guy who afflicts me with his endless comments isn't even such a bother when I write. It changed my whole mood around so much so that I had an extra bounce in my step when I put in my iPod (and decided it's time for a new one) and walked to my class. However I do tend to get lost in my own little world, and in the midst of the crowd I noticed the sweet taste of coffee lingering on my lips and without thinking began licking them slowly to enjoy what little was left of my pleasurable morning…only to notice a guy staring at me with a funny look on his face…and I realized I had been walking towards him and licking my lips seductively while not even realizing what I was doing. Such is life.