This week has been crazy, with insane heat, smoke finally arriving from all the fires burning around us, two online meetings I forgot about, and a ferry I had to race to catch so I could attend a Saturday safety course I booked months ago.
One of the things everyone knows about me is that I’m a really early morning person, but that does not equate to me going anywhere in the morning. For me, mornings are about getting up, drinking water and coffee, taking “me time,” and writing, and the only things I want to hear are the birds and the quiet, nothing else. So what do you think happened when I received an email notifying me that the Saturday course I booked months ago was not in fact online and would instead be starting at eight a.m. sharp, and I would have to take a ferry to get there? The ferry I was planning to take would arrive at eight, which meant my son would have to pick me up on the other side and race across the island, leaving me fifteen minutes late. I can live with that, and in fact I thought it was doable. How much would I really miss? I even emailed the instructors so they weren’t left wondering whether I was a no-show.
But leave it to my son, who was booked in the same course, to point out that it would be better if we weren’t late, so how about taking the earlier ferry? I looked at him like, Seriously? The earlier ferry would leave at six thirty in the morning, which meant I would have to be up at like four thirty. That would give me very little me time, as I would have to race to catch a ferry that would arrive an hour before the course started. Of course, I thought about it, figuring that was what a reasonable person would do. I texted him back—because his current mode of communication is to text instead of call—and said, “Okay, look, if I wake up, I’ll be on the earlier ferry.” Then came the scramble of wondering whether I would just wake up early after all, since I usually am up at five a.m. anyway. But because I don’t have an alarm, I suspected while lying there, staring at the ceiling, that this would be the one time I slept in.
The thing about ferries is that if you miss one, you have to wait for the next one, which means that five minutes of lateness turns into an hour. So at midnight I was still awake, and then one o’clock hit, and by that time I realized I was going to be in big trouble, so tired that it would make the all-day course miserable. Because I knew my daughter was still awake, I got up and said, “Please set an alarm on your phone and get me up in the morning. I swear I’ll make it up to you. Whatever you want, it’s yours.” Could I have done it on my old cell phone, which doesn’t even upgrade anymore, and its few apps don’t work because the memory isn’t big enough? I would’ve had to give it to one of my kids and ask them to figure it out. What about an actual alarm clock? I’m still not going to buy one.
Nevertheless, knowing my daughter would wake me up was apparently all the peace of mind I needed, because I fell asleep. At four fifty-five a.m., I woke up, climbed out of bed, had somewhat of a morning, and said a quick thank-you to my daughter, who, having heard me get up, had shut off her alarm and packed me some cut-up fruit for breakfast on the ferry. That was really beyond thoughtful! I packed up, tossed a backpack into my SUV, and raced to the ferry for the six thirty sailing only to pull into the parking lot to find the ship hadn’t even left the other dock. I gave myself a quick “Good thinking!” because when the ferry starts late on its first run of the morning, it often spends the entire day behind, one sailing after another.
In the end, instead of being super early or fifteen minutes late, it turned out I was right on time.
Coming Soon
For My Audible Book Listeners
Audible has given me FREE audiobook codes to pass on to you for select titles in this series! In turn, please be sure to take a few moments after listening to leave an honest online review. Click the yellow button below to claim a code.
*Due to limited availability, codes must be redeemed within 48 hours or will be reassigned to another requester.
If you are not currently an Audible member, you can still sign up and claim a free code without signing up for a membership or subscription. If you have any issues, Audible’s Customer Care team is just one phone call away & are happy to help–you can reach them directly at (888) 283-5051.
Join My Street Team
Are you a super fan of the Friessens, O’Connells, McCabes and more?
I’m looking for eager readers to join my brand new Facebook street team to provide feedback and share your enthusiasm for my stories via reviews, social media and good ‘ole word-of-mouth. Interested? Click the button below to join the team.
Additionally, when my group reaches 2,000 members, I’ll be giving away a new waterproof Kindle Paperwhite to one lucky team member!
As always, thank you for your consideration and support–I’m truly grateful!
