Change of Plans

I am a bit of a type A personality. When it comes to the precious moments when I can actually get things done, I like to have a plan that uses those moments wisely.

This summer I’ve been lucky enough to have some hours during the day to be productive. Usually by Monday I have an idea of what I’ll do during every day of the week. Sometimes these plans include seeing other people and are already scheduled, sometimes they are just my own personal expectations of what I’ll accomplish that day.

I like knowing what I’m going to do. I don’t like when something messes with my plans. When an item on my schedule gets cancelled I feel kind of panicked, desperate to find a new way to fill the hours that I expected to be put to good use.

Yesterday I woke up with plans to meet a friend for lunch. This friend lives far away so between the two car rides, a simple lunch date accounted for all my free hours between camp drop off and pick up. But at 8am my friend texted to say her daughter was sick and she’d have to reschedule. Suddenly my 4-5 mid-day hours were free. I immediately started groping clumsily for alternate plans.

When my husband couldn’t meet for lunch (our favorite spot has killer fried chicken sandwiches on Wednesdays) and I couldn’t convince myself to do some of the more onerous items on my to-do list, (and I recognized I didn’t actually want to go shopping–so proud of myself for realizing that and fighting my mind’s long standing, habit-induced urge to fill time with mall walking) I came to an amazing realization: I could “take a sick day,” and watch a movie while eating popcorn and sipping a Diet Coke! The minute I thought of it I was giddy with anticipation. I’m always lamenting the fact that I don’t ever get a sick day (my kids always crash mine with their own ailments) and I never get to be at home, alone at the house, with nothing to do. Today I was going to live out my dream “sick day.” Plus, I didn’t even have to be sick to enjoy it!

So I went to the store and stocked up on soda and pizza rolls. Then I started my sick day.

Of course I had to do a few productive things so I took pictures of the old bike and bike seats to post on Craigslist and did the same for the play kitchen. Then I picked a movie to rent on Ama.zon and lazily enjoyed the day. I’m so pleased I thought to spend my time that way, for once a change of plans was put to good use.

This morning I had plans to drive my sister down to my mom’s house so we could both clean out our closets. Then I found lice in my hair (I could ignore the itchy scalp no longer) and had to cancel. Suddenly my Thursday is all about treating my kids, washing everything on hot, bagging the pillows and stuffed animals, and getting de-loused myself (to the tune of $200-#FML).

I will admit, having two days worth of plans canceled in the early morning has thrown me for a loop, but I so appreciate that all this is happening now, when I have the time to take advantage of the free time or deal with a major household fiasco.

Tomorrow I plan a second attempt at heading to my parents’ place to clean out my closet. Then my daughter has a performance at camp and my folks are taking the kids overnight so we can go on a date.

Let’s just hope there are isn’t another change of plans.

6 Comments

  1. Lice. ICK. SOOO sorry. Glad you knew exactly what to do and who to call to get them unhoused. Hate lice.

  2. I LOVE the sick day idea! I’m always amazed at how the same day can sometimes be “I’m sooo bored and wasting my time!” or “this is so nice and relaxing” Enjoying a sick day when you’re not sick sounds wonderful. The lice, though… not so much. 🙁

  3. I am so intrigued! In my former life, as a group home staff, lice was pretty much an ongoing struggle, so many kids came to us with it, and despite our best efforts, staff would get it too. But because we were all in it together we’d pick through our hair like the monkeys we have evolved from. NOW however, I do not have fellow women to fall back on. I’m not worried if G gets lice, I’m well versed on how to treat her and the house, but if I get lice, I’m like super EFFED. My husband is sincerely not picking through my hair to get every single egg out. So what the fuck do I do?! TELL ME. Who deloused you?!!!

    1. A poor sap being paid minimum wage at some crazy-expensive de-lousing place deloused me. I would have done it myself, but didn’t trust I could. And I didn’t know anyone else to ask.

      There are A LOT of “professionals” out there charging a pretty penny for those desperate enough to get their problem fixed quickly and effectively. The good news is they really are “experts” and really do get rid of the lice. The bad news is they cost exorbitant amounts of money, like you wouldn’t believe how much I spent the last time. I don’t know if you would be able to find a company whose sole purpose is to deal with other people’s lice infestations where you are, but in SF, it’s definitely a thing.

        1. Yeah. I couldn’t believe these operations existed when I first heard about them, but now I totally get it. This is such a PITA, especially when you don’t really know what you are doing. I will say I felt more confident combing out my own hair than I suspected I would. So if you get it, you can try that.

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