Today was supposed to be about getting back into work after a week of sleep, sun, snorkeling and eating lots of pineapple, mango and mahi mahi on Maui.
Only things didn’t exactly turn out that way.
Along with everything else I got on vacation, I got lice.
I won’t dwell on the particulars; suffice it to say the little buggers came from a family member.
Instead of spending the day letting clients know I was back in town and getting a jump on blog posts and a feature assignment due this week, I sat for hours in a chair at a hair salon that specializes in lice removal. And did laundry. Lots and lots of laundry.
It’s times like these that I have to remind myself that life doesn’t always follow a play list. Sometimes you have to go with the flow. The work will be there tomorrow. Editors are people too, they have cars that break down or God forbid, school-age kids that pick up lice from their classmates. If you have an emergency and need a little extra time, chances are they’ll understand.
In the end, you’re much better off dealing with life’s little hiccups right away instead of ignoring them because you have too much work to do and then watching them turn into much bigger problems. I learned that lesson recently too. I let my driver’s license expire when the renewal date fell during an especially hectic time this spring when I was running the blogathon, reporting a cover story, writing my usual two blog posts a week, and watching my son’s varsity baseball team compete in the league and state championship tournaments. It wasn’t until two months later after I tried picking up the rental car for a trip to the Bay Area and was refused for not having a valid license that I finally took the morning off to visit the DMV. Good thing San Jose has decent bus service.
At the risk of outing myself as a louse – both literally and figuratively – it’s worth sharing these less than flattering experiences if it helps the next overworked freelancer who finds him or herself in a similar situation. When you’re your own boss, it’s easy to let work run your life. Don’t.
Now you’ll have to excuse me, I have to put some more sheets in the dryer.
Michelle,
That’s so funny! I’m sorry about it but it’s such a great reminder that “stuff” does happen sometimes. And we need to stay flexible. Welcome back.
Thanks Jan, I knew another mom would understand.
Michelle
Welcome back; the vacation sounds wonderful! Sorry about the lice — been there, done that and it’s no picnic.
No it’s not. On top of everything else our dryer’s on the fritz, so I have piles and piles of clothes, sheets and towels waiting for the repairman to come tomorrow before I can wash and dry them. Some welcome home, eh?
Michelle
Ugh … what a pain! Hope you at least got to read a good magazine at the salon. I had something similar happen last week so I know the frustration of these annoying inconveniences. My MacBook battery shorted out and originally they told me I’d have to send it out for a week of repairs and pay several hundred dollars. Then someone else at a different Apple store was able to fix it on the spot for free, so that was a huge relief, but I’d already spent several hours transferring my files to a different machine. As I told the Genius at Apple, I’m just glad it’s fixed.
Computer problems rank high on my list of anxiety-inducers. Which reminds me, I need to back up files!
Michelle
At first I thought, or maybe just hoped, your title had a typo and it was supposed to be Life. You poor thing. I hope things are getting back to normal. Thanks for always sharing and being so honest.
I usually steer clear of family matters on this blog, but since this affected work I figured what the heck. Appreciate the support.
Michelle
Oh, Michelle, I’m so sorry about the lice, but it does make for a good story. Here’s hoping next week will be a little better.
Thanks. I’ve been doing laundry nonstop since Monday. But the good news is all the clothes, blankets, sheets and towels in the house are clean!
MVR
Yes, agreed. Lice is better off being treated directly rather than ignoring it and waiting for it to go away. There are a number of household ways to get rid of it like (mayonaise) or non-toxic child safe – green products…