I Took A Day Off...Almost
I really don't strive for perfect attendance at work.
It just sort of happens that way.
I'll begin the year thinking that I will take the vacation time granted me, but then I'll glance at the calendar in September and think:
"Damn! I missed it."
This year is a little different as I have an operation coming up.
(What's a year without a surgery?)
So, I sort of went at it hard, knowing that days at the end of the year would be needed.
Yet those aren't days off, you know?
So during the past weekend I tried to talk myself into just extending the weekend by a day. I wouldn't miss work. The phone would be on and I could hang by the computer, but I didn't need to rush out to visit locations, did I?
I discussed the matter with the boys.
"You'll go," Sam said. "There's something wrong with you."
And sure enough I was up and out of bed by five.
"What would I do if I stayed home?" I asked Melky.
"Let's go," she said.
So I went through the morning routine and headed out to a couple of jobs. I was still thinking about taking it a little easy, but I felt myself getting wound up a bit.
Then my tire light warning went on.
I pulled to the side of the road.
Evidently the warning light goes on just before the tire goes flat.
Damn!
Now where do I go?
I looked to my left, then looked to my right.
I was three feet from the entrance to a tire repair shop, and that was a good thing because my chance of successfully changing a tire is extremely remote.
I pulled in.
The guy rushed right out and looked at it.
"The sidewall is damaged," he said.
He might as well have been speaking Chinese.
"You need a new tire. I don't have one. I can put the spare on for $47 or I can overfill it and you can take it where you want to go. You'll get 15 miles out of it."
"Fill it, please."
I drove it to the place close to my house, left the keys there, and walked the short distance home.
Sometimes the universe takes care of things.
I actually just sat and waited.
A partial day off.
Inspired by a nail in a tire.
It just sort of happens that way.
I'll begin the year thinking that I will take the vacation time granted me, but then I'll glance at the calendar in September and think:
"Damn! I missed it."
This year is a little different as I have an operation coming up.
(What's a year without a surgery?)
So, I sort of went at it hard, knowing that days at the end of the year would be needed.
Yet those aren't days off, you know?
So during the past weekend I tried to talk myself into just extending the weekend by a day. I wouldn't miss work. The phone would be on and I could hang by the computer, but I didn't need to rush out to visit locations, did I?
I discussed the matter with the boys.
"You'll go," Sam said. "There's something wrong with you."
And sure enough I was up and out of bed by five.
"What would I do if I stayed home?" I asked Melky.
"Let's go," she said.
So I went through the morning routine and headed out to a couple of jobs. I was still thinking about taking it a little easy, but I felt myself getting wound up a bit.
Then my tire light warning went on.
I pulled to the side of the road.
Evidently the warning light goes on just before the tire goes flat.
Damn!
Now where do I go?
I looked to my left, then looked to my right.
I was three feet from the entrance to a tire repair shop, and that was a good thing because my chance of successfully changing a tire is extremely remote.
I pulled in.
The guy rushed right out and looked at it.
"The sidewall is damaged," he said.
He might as well have been speaking Chinese.
"You need a new tire. I don't have one. I can put the spare on for $47 or I can overfill it and you can take it where you want to go. You'll get 15 miles out of it."
"Fill it, please."
I drove it to the place close to my house, left the keys there, and walked the short distance home.
Sometimes the universe takes care of things.
I actually just sat and waited.
A partial day off.
Inspired by a nail in a tire.
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