The Plan...Meets Reality

I was really looking forward to today. I went to bed knowing that my boss, Mike, and the guy who sits next to me, Pete, would be in Wichita all day in meetings. Mike and Pete are both generally on the phone continuously (and loudly), so I was pleased to have a peaceful, quiet, laid-back Friday. And my other co-worker, Shrene, always works from home on Fridays. So I would be the only one from my group in the office today.

I only had about two hours of work that I needed to take care of, which would leave me plenty of time to attend to more Me-centric activities. I was envisioning a leisurely stroll through the internet, reading all my favorite sites without the unpleasant interruption of work. I thought I might head up to Lamar's and get a donut or three for breakfast. A long lunch at the local sandwich shop sounded like a viable option. And to wrap it all up, I figured I would duck out of the office early and catch a movie.

So I was in an unusually chipper mood driving in to work this morning. It wasn't bone-chillingly, mind-numbingly cold and the forecast called for a partly sunny and relatively warm, 45-degree January day. And I was wearing my t-shirt with the Big Wheel graphic.

I pulled into my common law parking spot at the back of the lot and began my trek into the building. As per my daily ritual, I systematically checked over the cars in the lot, identifying which of the other folks in my office had already arrived. Ross? Check. Rob? Check. Keith? Check. Mike? "Wait," I thought. "Why is Mike's car here? Well, they said they were going to meet here early this morning and then head out. They must have taken Pete's car." And Pete usually parks on the other side of the building.

I entered the lobby of my building and headed for the stairs. As I walked past the elevator, I glanced out the doors on the opposite side of the lobby to see if any co-workers had parked over there. And there was Pete's car. "Hmmm...maybe they're just getting a late start. So much for a 100% peaceful and quiet day," I thought. "But what are you going to do?"

I trudged upstairs and entered the office. I exchanged hellos with Pete and then he said,

"We decided to stay here today."

"Seriously?" I said.

"Yeah, we thought we'd save the six hours of driving for an hour and a half meeting and just have a conference call."

"Ah, man. I was looking forward to a peaceful, quiet day," I said with a grin.

They both chuckled as I sat down.

"Well," I said, "I guess I'll just bow out early today, then."

Then Mike chimed in.

"I've got some bad news; we need to do month-end stuff today. We'll need to have an estimate done before the end of the day."

My chipper mood spontaneously combusted. So did visions of donuts and movie screens.

Because Mike is a happy-go-lucky, glass half-full guy, he laughed. Because I have to get information from him and Shrene and a person in our Minneapolis headquarters before I can begin on my portion of the estimate, I fumed. And vigorously attempted to seal off any expletives from leaking out of my mouth.

"Well, now I'm pissed off."

They both chuckled again and got back to work.

I sat down and recalled an interesting email conversation in which some of us debated what went into making a person happy. What percentage of your happiness is derived from your genetics, your circumstances and your choice? I enthusiastically argued that your personal choice dictates the majority of your happiness. And now I have a prime opportunity to prove my hypothesis.

I also recalled an old joke:

Wanna know how to make God laugh?
Tell Him your plans.

Okay, then; laugh it up, buddy. I'll try to, too.