Come on Life, sort it out.

I normally try to stay upbeat but seriously, life is beating me down right now so if you want sunshine and roses then look away now...

....still here?  Y'all just love misery don't you?!

It's all first world problems. I can deal with one or two, it's just shit happens. But when we roll into 3 or 4 at once I start to struggle.

The pain eased in gently with Sainsbury's failing to turn up on Sunday night and not calling to explain why. I hate having to chase customer service. They finally called and told me they weren't going to deliver, would refund my money in a few days but I could reorder for a new delivery if I was prepared to pay again. Oh joy. The shopping arriving was important as I was working away and wanted the cupboards stocked for Cog before I went. I left money behind instead! Ching went the cash register.

The car went into the garage Monday morning for a service. I've been driving around with the handbrake light on for a while. They'd told me it was an electrical fault they'd clear when they did the service. Turns out my brakes were knackered. Ching went the cash register.

I got home from work on Monday evening to the sound of dripping water. The bath panel came off, the tiles came off, the boxing in came out, but no luck. The ceiling came down. Ahhh, there's the pipe. "The bucket's there, we'll send someone tomorrow love" Ching went the cash register.

Off to Rangers, home to 'still dripping'.

Tuesday morning, working from home, the drip turned into a run. I called plumbers and asked if they could send someone earlier. A young girl arrived. Given that I knew the experienced bloke the night before had struggled, I worried. She lasted 45 minutes before calling for backup. A man with a jigsaw arrived and starting cutting up my bathroom floor. HWMBO came home and I left for the station feeling part packed and like I was abandoning a crisis. He was on the phone to the insurance company.

The train stopped halfway through my journey, failed signals, I decided I'd totally had enough of being picked on by life, hung my head low and stared at the floor and spotted a £1 coin. "Perspective" I thought. Many people would be so happy to have a pound in their pockets.

As I got off the train in Manchester I dropped it into the pot of a beggar. He thanked me and I chirpily said 'no worries, I found it on the floor of the train'. I understood myself to be sharing a moment of enlightenment about perspective. As I walked away I realised it probably made him feel worthless and my momentary good mood floated away again. Failed charity giver.

So I found myself in Manchester with Cog on the phone saying she needed a white shirt for the school concert I was going to miss because I was working away. Failed mother.

In fairness, I had a very worthwhile trip away. But the weather came in and gave me a hellish trip home through cancelled trains, slow trains, misinformation and mardy taxi drivers.  I popped my head around the door of Cog's Christmas concert.  I'd missed her part. Failed mother part deux.

As it turns out both Cog and HWMBO have had a fairly difficult time without me,  both of them said in passing that they found the mornings hard without me.  I think it does us all good once in a while to have a bit of life thrown at us to help us see properly the reality of what we do actually have.

In my case it is a loving (mostly!) family, a good routine, an easy commute, and a warm (if ceiling holey) home.  As you were life, you'll do.

Oh except, the refund for the failed Sainsbury's shop didn't make it back to my bank account before today's shop was debited, and they've so far failed to turn up with my shopping today as well. But at least I'm now on first name (shouty) terms with most of the managers!