Slow down stupid!

Monday was a great reminder that the world has its own pace. Todd went to Texas. I asked him to get a ride so I didn't start the week out at 5am the first full week of back to school. So after getting up at 5:45, I go to feed the dog and discover the lights on in my daughter's car parked on the garage. (We won't get into why the lights were on at this moment.) Not a good sign. Test ignition procedures showed that the Rabbit was, in fact, dead. Sigh. So instead of hair and makeup, I went and found the extension chord, battery charger, call Todd to make sure I don't set it up to explode anything, and start charging the battery.

I show Stephanie what to do when she comes home so she can drive to the barn. Then we go get the carpool in my car. We wade through the line, I switch places with Stephanie and drive my car home (she can't park because they will not give her the parking pass with a temporary license plate), and head home to get Clay off to school. As I pull out of the school lot, two very large dump trucks bear down on the rear of my car, and an ambulance is coming up in the lane next to me. Of course, it doesn't pass me until after I pass the entrance to my neighborhood. So I had to U turn at the next intersection and get in the line of traffic heading past my neighborhood towards the high school.

I got home about 5 minutes before Clay headed to the bus. Since my hair was still a mess, I sent him off and got ready for work. Downstairs, I stop to make my lunch and I notice that my daughter, in the car battery confusion, left the school picture order form and check on the counter on school picture day. Sigh. I text her that I will bring it to the office on my way to work.

After my delivery to the front office, I back my car out of the spot and head to the exit. To my left, there was a gaggle of 50 geese who decided to cross the lane from one island to another. To my right, another gaggle crossing from one island to the opposite island, as if they exchanging homes. This exchange completely blocked my exit from the grounds for 5 minutes.

At last I left. As I went towards Southpark, I crept through streets clogged with refugees from Park Road courtesy of the sinkhole. I finally just stopped for coffee at my favorite Starbucks. Once there, I stood in a line of 15 coffee addicts. What I have always heralded as the fastest most efficient Starbucks on the planet, had been derailed by an absent barista and her substitutes. My usual five minute stoop took 20 minutes.

And such has been my week when it comes to moving from place to place. No trip has been smooth. I have been sidelined by wrecks, new school start times, road work, tree removal, student drivers and people who dress while driving. Let's not even get started with the people who check their texts at red lights, and don't see the light change for 30 seconds.

I finally gave in. I don't even try to get anywhere quickly. I am leaving an hour before I am expected or just telling people to wait longer for me to arrive. Apparently, I am supposed to slow down. Who knows why? But today as I leisurely returned from Rock Hill on SC Highway 51, I passed a building with a pen in the back which contained a live camel. I doubt I would have seen that last week.