I was hanging around town, waiting for a call from my second child in order to take her, as promised, to lunch and then a doctor's appointment. Food is one of the easiest ways to make her happy (or at least approachable), and since I am the one driving, it has to be more or less healthy (Subway is always the first choice). And going along on her doctor's appointments is the easiest way to be able to translate what the doctor is says to her (otherwise it's usually told to me with a shrug of the shoulders and "I don't know."

So after almost three hours waiting by wandering through Target, sitting in my truck (alternating between getting too hot with the sun beating down and getting too cold when I'd open the door and/or window and the wind immediately blew out any of the heat accumulated) and updating my Day-Timer, and talking to the manager of the local grocery store about their lack of stocking my husband's favorite type of ice-cream (Premium Choice Moose Tracks Mint Chocolate Chip - really, that's the actual name)... wait a minute, what was I talking about? Oh, yes, waiting.

So after almost three hours, and getting only Joy's voice mail, I went to her apartment about twenty minutes before we were supposed to be at the doctor's office.... and woke her UP. Her alarm hadn't gone off (although it was already 2 p.m.!), so I tersely told her to take an EXTREMEMLY short shower, and get down to the parking lot.

But by the time I'd walked back to the truck, I realized that getting mad/irritated/upset with her would serve absolutely no useful purpose - I would extending my period of anger, she would react and be hurt, and it wouldn't change the reality - she slept in, we probably would be late, and she would look like she just stepped out of the shower.

And I recognized that some of my irritation was actually embarrasment just at her appearance (let me simply say that her self-defacing symptoms were in full swing).

So I took a couple of deep breaths, blew off some steam at my other daugther's voice mail, and got over it. And then actually had a very nice time with her, both at the doctor's and then at a VERY short lunch.

I just wish I could learn these lessons and RETAIN them.