Day 32: How to have a good day

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 32: How to have a good day

Today was my lucky day. 

I went to the mailroom to pick up some documents from the printer. Nothing was printed as there was no paper in the machine. I opened a new ream of paper, placed the sheets in the printer drawer and was about to throw away the wrapping paper of the printing paper when I noticed something in the bin … a book entitled ‘How to Have a Good Day’ by Caroline Webb.

Well somebody was quite obviously not having a good day as he/she threw the book away. Personally, I have never done such a thing. Okay, I’m lying, there is one book I threw in the garbage bag but the extremely well-known authors shall remain nameless. If and when I don’t like a book I give it away or leave it somewhere for others to find.

Even though I never read self-help books, I intend to give ‘How to Have a Good Day’ a go. Heaven knows I can do with some tools to have better days and if I find something interesting or useful, I’ll be sure to share it with you.

But speaking of losing and finding … yesterday I most definitely did not have a good day.

I got a man at my desk looking for his new cellphone and laptop. I checked the room where the company keeps all incoming packages and with little or no effort, I found the cellphone. As for the laptop … that I couldn’t find anywhere.

I checked the top of the table, under the table, on the floor, on cabinets … there was no laptop for the man. Since he was looking at me questionably, I invited him into the storage room and together we went through all the packages. No laptop. I promised him if and when the laptop showed up, I would give him a call.

This missing computer kept bothering me though. How could a package just disappear? Nobody but Elizabeth (not her real name), Frank (not his real name), the building management and I have access to this storage room. Elizabeth wasn’t there, she was on vacation, so who could have taken that laptop?

Eventually, I went to check the room again. I meticulously went through all the packages and checked every name. No, no laptop. By then it was close to home time, so I packed up and left. 

This morning though, I had to put a package away and while I was in the room I decided to have another look. And there the laptop was, in a rather big brown box. How I could have missed it I’ll never know. I checked that room and its content three times, the recipient of the laptop had checked the packages with me and neither of us had found what we were looking for. And now, boom, within five seconds I had located the box.

As for looking for things … lately I ‘lose’ all sort of stuff: my cellphone, keys, lipstick, and other small stuff regularly go missing. It’s gotten to the point that I’m considering getting a Golden Retriever to find my things.

It not really a case of losing things but rather misplacing them. For instance …

The other day I couldn’t find my reading glasses. I looked everywhere … I went around the house checking the living room, my bedroom, Dieter’s room, even the bathroom … no glasses.

Thinking that perhaps the cats had played with them, I checked under the coffee table, under the dining room table, even checked under the lounge chairs, thinking that my glasses might have skidded under there. But no, no glasses there either.

Feeling hungry I decided to make myself a sandwich. Maybe, while eating, it would come to where I left them. I opened the fridge to get the butter and … hello, what were my glasses doing in the fridge! I suppose it’s a question that will remain unanswered.

Anyway, let me take a look at that book ‘How to Have a Better Day’. Since tomorrow is Friday, winning the Lotto Max jackpot would definitely make for a better day and all day to follow. Fingers crossed.

Day 161: Why, oh why couldn’t I have gone for a white one?

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 161: Why, oh why couldn’t I have gone for a white one?

By now you are well acquainted with Greyson, a kitten we adopted from a foster mother from the Toronto Cat Rescue. As soon as I saw his picture, I knew I wanted this kitten and a few weeks later (he was too young to adopt at the time) he was mine.

Plenty of people don’t like black cats, they think that black cat brings bad luck. Oh well, they do say that an idiot is born every minute, so we have to forgive their ignorance and stupidity. Me, I love black cats, but then … I love all cats.

Today, some seven months later, the tiny kitten has grown into a medium-sized cat. The other cats are much bigger than him, but maybe he’s not done growing yet. 

We love Greyson dearly, but yesterday I was far from impressed with him. Let me put you in the picture …

Last night, around 1:00 a.m. I was ready to go to bed and before turning the lights out I did what I do every night … I check if all the cats are okay.

Charlotte was sleeping on top of the wall unit. 

Holly was snoring in the loveseat. 

Halley was at my feet, eager to join me in bed. 

And Greyson … where was Greyson?

I looked around the lounge, checked the chairs in the dining room, and inspected the kitchen ... Greyson wasn’t there. Next, I checked my bedroom, the bathroom, and the laundry cabinet … nothing. The only place left was Dieter’s bedroom.

Since Dieter was in bed already, his room was shrouded in darkness and finding Greyson there would be next to impossible. So I stepped into Dieter’s room and in hushed tones called “Greyson! Greyson, are you here?” No response of course and he didn’t make an appearance either.

So I went back to the lounge to have another look. I looked under the coffee table, behind the chairs, checked the dining room chairs again, checked the windowsill behind the curtain, and looked in the kitchen, bathroom and laundry room again. When I went to my bedroom I checked under the bed, behind the cabinets … nothing.

I was slowly but surely beginning to lose it and when I returned to the living room I hissed “Greyson, where the hell are you? Show yourself!”

The only place left was Dieter’s bedroom, but I couldn’t exactly go in there and switch the light on. So I stumbled around in the dark, checking the bed if I could feel his soft fur and in the process stubbed my toe against the bed. Lord above, have you ever hurt yourself without being allowed to scream or swear?

I stood there in near silence, groaning with pain, my foot in my hand, doing a close imitation of an Irish jig. 

By the time I returned to the living room I was royally ticked off and thought … Why, oh why couldn’t I have gone for a white kitten?!

The only thing left to do was grab my cellphone, switch on the build in torch and shine it under Dieter’s bed, that was the only place I hadn’t looked. But where was my cellphone? Now had to go look for that. I checked the coffee table, the dining room table, looked under books and other stuff … my phone was AWOL too.

And then suddenly I felt familiar soft fur brushing up against my leg … Greyson. “And where did you come from?” I asked him. “I looked for you everywhere!” He didn’t answer, of course, if he had I would probably have keeled over. Instead, he sat there staring at me with his big amber eyes looking as if butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth.

So in the event that you’re planning on adopting a black kitten/cat, for the sake of your nerves and your toes … get the cat a fluorescent neckband or better yet, a bell.

If you like my stories, you might like my books.

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