What to Do With One of Those Days

Today's 3 a.m. Hero, Teddy. Extra treats for you, little friend!

What kind of day will it be? Apparently, one of those days.

At three a.m., the dog went off. I leapt from bed to find a (former) hot water heater spewing gallons of water through several rusted-out holes in the top, the result of which was three inches of water in the laundry and dining rooms.

I attacked the situation. I shut off the water and the breaker switch, grabbed twelve towels and a quilt to soak up the flood, and proceeded to fling said textiles throughout the mess.

Then a knock on the door. I opened it to a police officer, called because water had flowed into the downstairs apartment. He came in, made sure there wasn’t any foul play afoot, and left…returning with a fireman, who also assured himself there was nothing to see here, and they both left.

Next, maintenance man with a shop vac and an assessing eye arrived, shut off my water, and promised the next guy would be here over an hour and a half ago to install a new water heater and clean up the carpet.

Not long after that, I stepped in dog poop (which wasn’t from the one who saved the day by barking me awake…thank you again, Teddy).

Meanwhile, as I write, a close family member is in the hospital. They’re not sure exactly what’s wrong yet, today it’s still day-to-day.

Quite a range of emotions in this day already. Thankfully, I have enough coffee and water, and for some reason, I’m not overwhelmed at the moment. Could be in the next one, but that’s another answer I don’t have.

The point? While it’s not fun to be living in the midst of all this (and I realize there are so many worse situations that I’m not in), I am gaining experience in knowing how it feels to be ‘here’ . Because I’m a writer, I’m trying to pay attention to that.

I may never write about what I’m feeling during this day, or others labeled “one of those,” but now if I do, I can write from personal experience, which could make the writing better for it.

Life is resource for writers and other creatives, and mine is no different. Of course, you don’t have to experience everything you write about (that’s what research is for), but when you can write from experience, it can enhance everything you’re trying to convey to your reader.

Here’s my equation of the moment. Lousy day = more in the writer archive.  I’m not asking what’s next, but when I look at it that way, maybe it’s not such a lousy day after all.