You will know this is a true story because who would/could make this up.  My day today –

My drivers license expires in 3 days, so I set this morning aside to renew it.   I drove 20 miles further than the DMV close to me, because there is never a line.  I walked in and was immediately waited on.   The gentleman looked at my items and said “you need a photo card.  Where is your photo card?”

I’ll be 100% honest here (I did not tell him this, and feel a bit guilty) – I might have thrown it away.  I’ve had stacks of forms & papers on my kitchen table, and I might have decided I didn’t need it and put it in the recycle bin.  He told me I had to go the DMV 10 minutes from my home to get the “photo card”.  I left annoyed, because that  DMV is always packed and slow.

On my way home I stopped at the local hospital’s thrift shop and found a really cool crystal light, which was exciting, but not enough to dispel my annoyance.

I came home and had lunch.  I was waiting for a painter who was due at 1 to give me a quote.  While I waited I debated with myself over whether or not I should go to the correct DMV after he left.  He showed up, talked to me for a bit, then promised a quote next week.  After he left, knowing it was before 2:30 so the teenagers wouldn’t be there, I decided now was better than tomorrow and I took off for the DMV.

I went in, got a form to fill out and was given number F565.  As I completed the form they called F554.  Ugh.  I scrolled through my FB feed, then closed my eyes and focused on breathing.  After 40 minutes I was called to the 1st window.  This was the woman who would print my “photo card”.  She was mean.  Nasty, surly, mean.  Usually this behavior bothers me, but today I thought “I have no idea what her life is like, so I won’t judge”.  She printed out my form, snarled at me to sit again and wait, and I gave her a smile and a thank you.

In about 5 minutes I was called to the photo area.  The woman there was lovely.  She smiled, was polite and asked if I wanted more pictures after the first one.  Here’s the thing – the first one wasn’t bad.  This is very unusual for  me.  Within 10 minutes I had my new license.  I compared it to my pic from 4 years ago and it might actually look better!

As I walked out the door I noticed a thrift store in the same shopping center.  I went in.  I am in the process of surrounding myself with things I love, after having ditched so much of what I had accumulated during my unhappy marriage, so I always stop in thrift stores.

An Aside:  I have all boys.  Boys = destruction.  If you have more than 1 boy, you have a choice to make – 1 – you can pack up every breakable items you own & not take it out until they are 25, or 2- you can accept the fact that they will break everything.  My boys did not fail – they broke everything.

I have the remnants of a set of everyday dishes that, while dating back to my wedding, I still love.  Missing though, was every salad plate.  I often use this size plate, and am forever adding to the collection as plates break, so I was eyeing salad plates when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw My Plates!  Six of them!  Salad size.  If I replaced them online I’d pay $6 each, but today I got 6 of them for $6.00!

But that’s not even the best part!

I’ve been searching for a sofa I will love.  This morning on FB I saw one that I thought might fit the bill.  It was located at Sweet Dreams Furniture, which, according to google, was about 50 minutes from my home.  I had already decided to spend tomorrow afternoon trekking out there to see what I could find.

As I left the thrift shop though, I saw a sign across the street saying “Sweet Dreams Furniture”.  I thought it must be a mistake, because my google search had not revealed this store so close to my home, but I drove across the street just to see.  I parked and there I was, staring at the storefront of Sweet Dreams furniture store.

Honestly, I wasn’t impressed.  I almost didn’t go it, it seemed so seedy.  But, since it was only 3:30 and my son was at the gym, I decided to pop in and see if they had the sofa I’d seen.  I walked in the door and turned right (did you know this is a “thing”?  Research says most people look to the right when entering a store!).  Right in front of me was the statue of a lion.

Back story – when I was growing up my grandfather had cement lions in front of his home.  When we went to visit I always sat on those lions.  I remember little else of him, but I’ve always had a fondness for lions.  About 10 years ago I read that Lions, when placed in front of a home, offer “protection”.  I decided I wanted Lions in front of my house. I spent about 5 years searching but came up empty.  The one’s in my price range were made of cheap resin, and they were usually laying down, which dilutes their power – if you believe in that stuff.  The nice ones, in which they lion was upright and the material was sturdy, were never less than $300, way out of my range.

Yet there, today, I was staring at an upright Lion, with a full roar, in a beautiful color.  My 1st thought was that it was Resin, but when I tried to move it I could not make it budge.  My next thought was that it probably cost a fortune and I walked away.  I wandered through the store and saw a few other Lions, each a bit different in color, and decided to ask the cost.  Imagine my shock when I was told $85!!!

So my day ended with my victorious drive home with my new Lion and 6 plates, and a smile on my face.  And a decent drivers license photo.  Who gets that?

At any point today I could have gotten miffed and decided to spend the day on the sofa.  When my GPS took me 20 minutes out of my way for the 1st DMV, I could have gotten pissed off and just gone home.  When I was told I couldn’t get my license there I could have had a tantrum and stomped out, crying the whole ride home.  Faced with the decision of the long wait at my local DMV I could have said “screw it” and taken a nap.  After spending an hour at the local DMV I could have decided I was too tired and angry to go shopping.  After finding the salad plates I could have thought “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth” and gone home.  I could have pulled into the parking lot of the furniture store and thought “yeah…….no” and left.  Once in the store, I could have assumed the lion was too expensive and not asked, driving home feeling sorry for myself.

How crazy is it that 10 years ago I wasn’t sure I wanted to be alive, yet today I had an amazingly great day.  Exhausting for sure, but so totally worth it.

I don’t know what tomorrow will bring but tonight I am happy.