The Straw

Ever had one of those days? The kind of day when everything seems to go wrong. The alarm clock got set for 6:00 PM instead of AM. The kids didn’t want to get out of bed. The dog broke through the gate and is out in the neighborhood somewhere. The dryer didn’t run a complete cycle and the clothes you had picked out for the day are still wet and smelling quite moldy.


Things don’t seem to get any better. The baby’s diaper exploded and you have a poopy messy to clean off the entire crib. The older kids take 20 minutes to locate their shoes which causes them to miss the bus. On your way out the door your neighbor calls for the third time that week to say her cat escaped and can’t get out of the tree.

You make it to school with the children who have waited until then to tell you that they forgot their lunch boxes on the kitchen counter. While you are at home retrieving the noontime meals the phone rings. You pick up the receiver simply out of habit only to learn that one more person needs one more thing. And this is how your day goes.

So by 10:00 you decide that a extra large sweet tea from McDonald’s is in order for you to make it through the rest of your day. You place your order and while anxiously anticipating your mid-morning refreshment you vow that the rest of the day is going to be better. It can’t get much worse. But once you leave the establishment you discover that they forgot your straw.

That’s it!!! You have had enough! You promptly march in to the manager and let them know in no uncertain terms--in a voice loud enough for every customer to hear-- how inconsiderate and unprofessional the employee was who packaged your order. Once the missing straw is rightfully shoved into your cup you start crying and leave hastily in embarrassment.

Not that I have ever had a day like that.

Just remember when you see someone having a fit, throwing a tantrum, crying or getting angry over a missing straw remember it’s just the one that broke her camel’s back. Maybe her kids missed the bus.