The Wheels on the Bus

I will be the first to admit I don't handle stress well.  Or change for that matter.  My life is fairly orderly.  When things are thrown at me or my routine changes my whole body suffers.

Today was not meant to be my day.  At least it wasn't Monday.

Hubby had car trouble on Monday so needed to drive my truck the last two days to work.  He works 4 am to noon so carpool is out of the question.  Yesterday I got a ride from Eugene, but today I thought I'd take the bus.

Well, I haven't taken the bus in about 3 years.  I still worked at my old job.  It's the same bus to my current job.  I caught it at 7:30.  And thought I knew the route.  Guess what.  In three years the route that has been the same for 20 years was now changed!!

I missed my only opportunity to get off close to my office thinking the bus was supposed to loop back and stop directly in front of my office (there's a bus stop there.  I see the #8 James there every day).  Well, I was mistaken.  I ended up at the mall and then the university, then the hospital...  All bringing me further from my office.  I called work to tell them I'd be a little late. I wound up all the way at the Port Arthur bus depot!! All the way across town from my office!  Little did I know that the bus I was on becomes another bus once it leaves the mall!  The mall is now a "depot"!

A sheepish me went and asked the driver the best bus to get back towards my office the quickest.  Take the #2 Memorial to Central Ave. and have the driver call the southbound #8 James to wait at Central for me.  No problem!! Right?  WRONG.

The driver was very helpful and radioed the #8 James at least 4 times.  No one answered.  She let me off at the stop I needed and said to just hurry around the corner to the next stop and the #8 James would be there any minute.  The #8 James never showed up.  I kept walking as it was in the direction of my office and I know where the stops are along the way.  No bus.  It had to have already passed before I got off the Memorial.  I walked to work the rest of the way in shoes not at all designed for trekking.  I called hubby on the way and he chided me for not calling him when I figured out I was on the wrong bus after Intercity.  What's done is done.  I don't like to put people out and I hate asking for rides when I'm perfectly capable of getting there on my own...  Well, may not perfectly capable with bus routes!!

I was 40 minutes late and quite upset by this point.  I'm not late for work.  Even through ice storms and blizzards I've only ever been at most 5 minutes late.  I calculate for delays.  I had an hour to get to work when I set out at 7:30.  I got in a 9:10.

I said I don't handle stress well.  And I don't.  I was shaking and anxious and feeling quite ill when I finally got to work.  Then I had to explain what happened.  And being me, couldn't hold back my tears.  I felt silly for not checking the schedule ahead of time. And then sillier when 3 or 4 people at work chided me for not calling them for a ride this morning.  My one boss had a good laugh and jokingly commented that my picture and name where going to be put on the bulletin board with big letters LATE underneath.  I am very fortunate to work with such a good group of people.  My darling husband called to make sure I made it to the office safely and given my ordeal took me out for lunch.

Stress is murder on my body.  Besides having walked the almost 2km in sandals not made for walking, the stress has absolutely drained me.  I wanted nothing more than to come home for a nap but made it through my work day.

I had a hot bath tonight and gave my poor feet some TLC.  As tired as I am right now in 2 hours when I want to go to sleep I'm certain it will evade me.  The joys and frustration of tinnitus, possibly caused by the Chiari, keeping me awake all night.