Readers of a certain vintage will recognize the title of this posting as coming from a song by the Carpenters. Karen Carpenter let us know that rainy days and Mondays really got her down.
This Monday morning in Chicago is not only rainy, but extremely muggy. I staggered to my car under the weight of my accumulated dry-cleaning only to discover that the clicker to open the parking lot wasn’t working. I stood there helplessly until someone else showed up. His clicker didn’t work either and we ended up unhooking the mechanism and, with considerable physical effort, pried the gate open.
I tried to drop my cleaning off, but the street was bristling with police cars and ominous “You will be towed” signs. Ah, well. I got into work and my computer wouldn’t boot-up. Major panic was followed by several deep breaths and the decision to try starting it up again – it worked.
Accessing my email, I realized (oh so belatedly) that I am scheduled to be at a conference in San Jose, California this coming Friday at exactly the same time that a friend from Paris is arriving in Chicago. Eek. What to do?
It is barely 8:00a.m. I am already brought low by this rainy Monday. What can I do to redeem the day?
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Michelle 06.22.09 at 11:03 am
From long experience of rainy Mondays of this sort, I would say laugh. I try to imagine how this set of adventures (and I use that term with some irony) might evolve on a sit-com.
It rained on my Sunday – literally and figuratively. Having spent a marvelous (though wet) weekend at Fordham with 400 other Ignatianly oriented souls thinking/talking/singing about the Foundation and Principle (and thank you Loyola Press for the gift of a book!) – I headed back to Philadelphia, only to discover that I had somehow booked my return train ticket for JANUARY 21, not June 21. As I traveresed the hot, humid depths of Penn Station, trying to remedy this error, a little self-directed humor was a welcome companion.
As to the problem with Friday — some humor?
Eric 06.22.09 at 11:59 am
Paul,
These may be just words because I have never been good at dealing with days like your rainy Monday. However, many sources have recently reminded me that God is in the middle of messes like yours. Not that God will fix it for you, but that God will give some wonderful gift or grace through the mess. The trick is to keep your eyes and heart wide open in order to recognize it. I am aware that I am giving advice to a man who has dedicated years to his Jesuit priesthood, so I submit my thoughts with humility, hoping that they are Spirit inspired.
Eric
mary kujawa 10.03.09 at 7:12 am
groing up at mothetrhoue of notredames in mankato minnesota i thgink my heart is grateful for excellent educators and rainy days meantmore studying but the aroma of furniture polish seemed to go with convent like living. sorry i spelled growing wrong sisters i am still in a hurry! running the race with st. paul i call it but slow down like a lady was there words. they were strong christian nuns for the most part and my family and i had a lovely 2 visits with them after 34 years.