Bad Karma Day

Last week was a heavy week - work, packing, new boss, meetings, kid events, camps, appointments, sick friends, you name it -it happened last week (or two now that I think about it).  I trudged along keeping my head up and dragging my corpse to bed as the energy light that read 'EMPTY' started blinking very fast.  And although I hate my cell phone with a passion, having it water damaged has added MORE stress with unlistened to phone calls, trying to pick up a call and hearing dead space, only getting text messages.

I kept saying to myself, "You know, next week is gonna SOOO ROCK!"  Well, here is 'next week' and there's even more on my plate - when am I gonna get to the dessert???  The light, fluffy, fun part?   There was some good news, good networking and fun with the kids already and it's only Tuesday. 

But have you ever had one of those get out of bed and you shock yourself accidentally dragging your feet on the carpet?  Dropping things?  Forgetting things?  Drivers that decide TODAY is the day they are gonna try and race you or brake, brake, brake in front of you for 'fun'?  When you put on your watch, it's not working?  You order coffees for pals and notice they charged you for one additional drink and 'didn't know'?  Try to call your hubby who has been calling and texting you all day and he is so busy that you're gonna have to try again later? You go to wash your car window because people in the Summertime LOVE to wash their windows in traffic and spray water all over your windshield at the gas station and someone has taken all of the cleaners away just as you get there?  You go to park in the normal parking space in an empty parking lot under a lovely tree for shade and the FED EX dude 'steals' your spot so fast that he nearly tips over his truck (I mean, REALLY dude?)?

Yes, all in one day.  So, I take a deep breath, hold it for a few counts, and breath out through my mouth to calm down and stay focused on the next task.  I finally get to my office, nice and air conditioned, new, clean and - I open the door to note that it's being used for storage???   So I laughed out loud and got some water from the kitchen. 

I remember a Kenyan lady in the first professional building I worked in as a young chick in my 20's who would go to the restroom for her break like the rest of us in the building and splash her face with water a few times, shake the water off with her hands, close her eyes, dry off a bit and leave.  Finally, after seeing her do this every day, I asked her if it was a ritual.  It certainly looked like one - she wasn't cleaning off her face - and her face was NOT oily or in need of being washed several times a day.  She explained to me with her deep accent that in her culture when things went wrong or you felt 'off' you would find some clean, cool water and splash your face with it in order to 'clean' your karma.  Well, that was the gist of it.

Shrugging my shoulders after she finished explaining how it works, I tried it while she smiled at me.  I wore more makeup that day than she ever will in her whole life, but I did it anyways.  I was having a horrible day and would try anything.

SPLASH!  SPLASH!  giggle  SPLASH!

She gestured for me to flick my hands at the sink to get rid of the water with the 'bad energy' and blot dry.

"There!  How was that?"

"Um, cool and wet?"

"No, no, I meant, how WAS it?  Do you feel free?"

I didn't feel any different but noticed my mascara was running on my left eye.  As I leaned over to fix it, the woman waved me off with her hand and made a 'tsk-tsk' sound and left.

The rest of the day felt like a new slate - fresh.  Maybe there's something to it, maybe not, but right now, I'm gonna march over to the bathroom and find out if it works for me today.

Flick!  Flick, bad karma water!  Flick, flick!