This morning I ventured out in that gloomy hour of rush to drop Loops at the station and Laree at school, leaving Mook at home getting ready to drive herself to school (that's another story for another day). All was going well, no road ragey incidents (or idiots turning left at the level crossing and actually no nutters dicing with death and heading over the crossing despite the lights flashing). As I said all was going well.
Then the phone rang (hands free of course) and it was Mook screeching at me down the phone that she had lost her keys and blaming me, despite the fact she was last to bed and I had not even seen her keys that morning. I could feel my blood pressure rising, but I calmly said "I have not got your keys and there is no reason to to make your problem my issue". That's a new parenting skill I've learnt, part of the inner calm I've established (another story for another time on the Nell Get Wells series).
A little while later I stopped to let some school children cross the road, one little girl crossed the road, turned her head ever so slightly and said thank you and waved. That little girl melted my heart and made me step back from being annoyed by the daughter who found her car keys in her bag!
This little girl had absolutely no idea what her little gesture meant to me, but it made a real difference to my day and it turned my frown upside down.
I had seen earlier on Twitter that Jim Hawkins of BBC Radio Shropshire (follow him he's great) was asking people for their 'Gratitude Stories' so messaged him and then as if by magic he called, so there I was live on the radio in Shropshire (and online) whilst chatting from the field in Wokingham. A school friend who I had seen at the weekend heard me (laughed as she too has fiery teenagers), she rang, we nattered and texted a few others and we have now hatched a plan to have a few days with other school friends in Shrewsbury to celebrate our 50ths, which I am really looking forward to.
All in all that morning turned out well!