So, today happened.

It started out as a great day! Everyone got up on time. We got out the door on time. No one forgot anything. I dropped everyone off at their respective camps. I went for my three-mile run that my training plan dictated for today.

Then, it all began to unravel.

The beginning of the trail that I like to run is just outside the post gate closest to my house. My truck was running on empty, so my thought was, 'I will stop for a run. Then I will go through the checkpoint onto post and go straight to the gas station.' I finish running and a text from my sweet soldier appears. He tells me that the power is out at work so there is a good chance it is out at the house.

"Did you lock the back door?"

"Yes. (Expletive).”

You see, the power went out after he went to work so the electric garage door is closed tight and on the track. I have a key to get in the house but there is a "hotel lock" on the front door that stays locked so that kids and dog don't escape. Basically, I am locked out of the house, sweaty, tired and frustrated.

So I decided to go to lunch. Sweet soldier needed to go with his boss, so I decided to go somewhere on post where they had power. I also needed to drop off a gift to be worked on at the Arts & Crafts Center, but they didn't open until 1pm. It was 11am. As I stood in line waiting to order lunch, I felt really badly for the guy who was standing behind me at the sandwich shop. My dirty running clothes can give my husband's dirty PT's a run for their money! I was smelly! I finished my lunch and headed home to see if the electricity was on, and luckily, it was.

I get cleaned up and changed. A new email arrived on my phone from the jobs website. This is the email that I have been waiting for. As I read it carefully, I read the following paragraph:

_{"We have reviewed your application and found you qualified for the position listed above. However, you were not among the most highly qualified candidates. Therefore, your name will not be referred to the employing agency at this time. If we receive a request from the agency for additional candidates, or another agency requests a list of eligibles for a very similar position within the next 90 days, your application will again be reviewed for possible referral. Thank you for your interest in Department of Army employment."}

I begin to shake and cry and my shoulders began to heave. I sat down on my bed and made a decision to let myself be sad. I really wanted that job. It was one that I felt like I could do. It was one that was perfect for me. It was "the" job. Ugh! I did not make it through the application system to even be considered for an interview. I cried for probably an hour, and then I realized that I had to keep on with my day. I still needed to drop off this gift and pick up the kids soon but I still allowed myself to be sad for the afternoon.

So we made it through pick-ups and dinner. As the kids were helping me clear the table and bring dishes into the kitchen to be washed, I smelt poop. Yes, I did say poop. It is at this juncture that I should tell you that I have always been taught that "when the poop hits the fan it is never evenly distributed" but in this case, when the poop hits the floor, it belongs to the dog. In the immortal words of Janice of Friends, "Oh My God!"

That was it. There was my threshold. I officially could take no more. I shooed everyone out of the kitchen, turned off the hot water for the dishes and I changed Little Sweet Boy's pull-up. I finished washing the dishes and got everyone to bed, and then announced to my sweet soldier, "I'm going to get some ice cream."

I'm not gonna lie. The chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and organic coffee made me feel a little better but honestly, that is not the root of the problem. The root of the problem is that when a potential employer says, "no thank you" we tie that to our self worth, and once the wind was out of my sails, I let that affect the rest of my day and it should not have.

As I finish my coffee and feel my eyelids getting heavier under the weight of the day, I have to remind myself that it is just a bad day. Tomorrow is another day. It is a new chance to be extraordinary! It is another chance to embrace where I am and who I am and to bloom where I am planted.

So today happened, but hot on its heels is tomorrow. And tomorrow is going to be great!

Strength and Courage ... sby