I was returning home after a particularly arduous day at work. I stopped off at the grocery store to pick up some milk and a prescription for my eldest daughter, who was home with a nasty sinus infection. I had felt uneasy all day about leaving her at home with my husband, but contributed my unrest to the guilt I felt at not being there to take care of her myself. My husband, not known for his patience, was unaccustomed to being a caregiver to a classic Prima Donna, which is what my daughter turned into whenever she was ill.

As I drove down the winding rural road which led to my house, I let my mind wander and reflect back to the day that I had. It started off on a negative note, and then spiralled out of control, much like a train that had jumped the tracks. I had no sooner poured myself a much needed first cup of coffee when my boss came into the break room to inform me of a problem. It seemed as though a Hydraulic Lifter had gone down, and the engineers needed the parts to fix it by the end of the day. Resolutely, I headed towards my desk, bemoaning the fact that the schedule I had made up for myself would have to go by the wayside.

To make matters worse, the supplier did not open up until 9:00, which made my time span to get things done that much shorter. So much for going home early so that I could be with my daughter. I shrugged off the frustration I was feeling, and got down to business, making calls to the engineers to see what was needed, and to arrange for transportation. After one particular conversation, I realized that this problem had escalated through several layers of management, which made the stress level of everyone involved sky rocket through the roof.

To make matters worse, I was training a new employee, which, under normal circumstances I really enjoyed. Between answering her questions, and fending off phone calls from anxious management, I felt as if I was getting nowhere. Luckily, I had dealt with this supplier several times before, and had an easy camaraderie with the sales team. They understood the urgency, and were able meet my demands quicker than I had thought possible. Then again, we had several multi-million service contracts with them, so it was only natural that when I asked them to jump through hoops, they complied.

I gently shook my head to bring myself back to the present. The day was successful given its inauspicious beginning. Everyone was happy and I could put it all behind me and look forward to an evening nursing my daughter back to health and snuggling up to her while we watched some of our favorite TV shows.

Little did I know, that was going to be my last coherent thought for many days to come.