The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day…

by | Oct 16, 2017 | Health, South Africa

So others have these kinds of days too…

By Anisha Hopkinson on Oct 13, 2017 02:00 am

One of my favourite stories of all time is Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. If you haven’t read it, you really should! This post is written with thankfulness to Judith Viorst, the author of Alexander’s bad day, who taught me many years ago that, “Some days are like that”.
The Very Bad Day
We lost power last night and it was so hot without the fan I couldn’t sleep. Then my neighbour’s rooster decided to take advantage of the fan-less quiet night and crow under my window till dawn. I definitely couldn’t sleep. This morning my clothes on the line still weren’t dry so I had to wear damp underwear and I could tell it was going to be, as Judith Viorst says, a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
At breakfast my husband ate weet-bix and my son ate coco puffs and I picked the cornflakes and there were ants in my cornflakes. My powdered milk was lumpy even though I used a whisk.
I think I’ll move back to Florida.
On the way to the market my son kicked off his flip flop and it fell into the ditch. I tried to be nice and get it out, but the ditch is a sewer and I couldn’t reach his shoe with a stick and it made me gag. I cried and yelled at him for kicking off his shoe and he cried and yelled at me for being a mean mom.
Before heading out to teach kindergarten co-op I forgot to make coffee and so forgot to bring craft supplies. Instead of an educational activity to finish off the lesson I sent the kids to the playground for 45 minutes because who can remember craft supplies with no coffee?
When I got home I checked e-mail and saw a message from another missionary mom. I’d told her I was tired and it’s hard to parent and home school my son overseas and she said she was pregnant and homeschooling three children when she was overseas. Yeah well that’s nice for you, I thought. And even though Jesus says to love your enemies I hated her for being able to do what I can’t. I’m pretty sure Jesus wasn’t talking about other missionary moms.
I think I’ll move back to Florida.
For lunch I ate tofu and rice for the 186th time in a row. My food was dry so I added hot sauce, but I added too much and it burned my mouth and made my eyes water.
It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
After lunch we called for an update on our visa renewals and after months of waiting and promises that today would be the day we were told to try again tomorrow.
Yeah well tomorrow I’ll be in Florida.
This afternoon the neighbours threw a party and parked motorcycles in front of our house and blocked the gate. I couldn’t open the gate. I hate the neighbours.
For dinner I ate tofu and rice for the 187th time in a row because the cargo planes are down for maintenance and the shops ran out of flour and chicken.
In the evening the power went out during my shower and I had to stand in the pitch black hoping there was still fuel in the generator so I didn’t have to go to sleep with shampoo in my hair. My husband said there was no fuel so I had to rinse as best I could with the water still in the pipes. I cried in the dark. I hate the dark.
When I went to bed the rooster crowed beneath my window. I really hate that rooster.
It’s been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
But Judith Viorst is right, “Some days are like that.”
Even in Florida.
***
On the very bad days, humour and writing keep me from packing my bags and moving back to Florida. Have you had a very bad day recently? Write your own in the comments and share it with us.

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1 Comment

  1. Elle
    Elle on October 16, 2017 at 3:12 pm

    I love the honesty of your post. I think it is important for senders to know that you guys are human too. And we can all relate to a day like yours (well, maybe not the flip flop in the sewer mess).

    I have done only short-term missions in Honduras (one week at a time, for 16 years), but I have had very bad days in the field and certainly many of them here at home in Texas. My worst days in the field are the days I want to just walk away from my fellow missioners for some “me time.” Or the days when I’m in a bad mood and can’t wait for the reflections time to be over because I don’t want to hear one more overly long description of the same old thing we’ve heard every evening since we arrived.

    I hope your tomorrow is a better day!