Breathe: That Collective Sigh of Relief

It’s the beginning of another month—the kind of time which brings to the mailboxes of many Americans more disappointments than joys. Some are disappointed with what arrives in their mailbox: bills that can’t be paid. Some are unhappy with what doesn’t arrive in their mail: the check on which they are so dependent.

Me? I was just happy to enjoy a sunshiny break from the rain—though I’m grateful we’re having so much of it, finally!—to get outside in the cool afternoon air and walk down the driveway to check my box. I didn’t even know whether the mail had been delivered yet; I just needed to get outdoors. Sometimes, I sit at my desk so long, you’d think I was anchored there with a real ball and chain.

Well, the walk was worth the trip in more ways than one.

It happened later than I originally guessed, but sooner than I ultimately presumed. That “expedited” government document—the one so desperately needed now, to fill in the last blank on an application due soon for a foreign study program—finally arrived.

I had been pondering creating an online contest—“guess which late date the passport arrives”—since every shred of rational expectation had seemingly been exchanged for Kafka-esque mishaps. Even when you feel like screaming and fuming, sometimes it really is better to sit back, relax, and have a good long laugh at the situation. What else can you do?

Next breath-suspension exercise: the long wait to receive the response to the application for study abroad. Here’s hoping the decision comes back with a “yes” for Ireland!