Can't seem to time it right

Why is it, that THE day I choose to take off work or happen to stay home sick, is the only day I unexpectedly see everyone? Maybe this just happens to me, but inevitably, the day I look the worst or have chosen to go "au natural" as far as my appearance, is the day I run into a long lost friend, the UPS guy surprises me, or I have to run to the school because one of my girls forgot something.

Now that I'm a working mom, I have to dress nice and be presentable every day so when I get a chance to stay in my jammies and keep my morning hair and face on as late as I want, I take it! I treasure those lazy days, even if it means I'm sick as a dog, and certainly do NOT want to share my lazy day look with the rest of the community.

However, 9 times out of 10, I am forced to share it. In the last 8 months, my 10 year old has forgotten her P.E. clothes for school three times. Two out of those three times, just happened to be mornings where I stayed home from work. I have not calculated the odds on that, but seriously, the morning I look like death warmed over, is the same day I have to go into the school to deliver forgotten items? Why couldn't have she forgotten her junk the day before when I was dressed my best? Oh no! Plus, it can't be something I can bring in later in the day so I have time to freshen up, it has to be brought by 8:15 a.m. because that's when class starts.

Or the day, not too long ago, when I was home sick, feeling and looking like I'd been run over by a garbage truck, and I ran out of medicine. Everyone was busy so my only option was to run to the store myself. I told myself, I'll just run in, grab the flu medicine, and bust out as fast as I can. It was 2:30 in the afternoon so I was pretty positive I wouldn't see anyone. WRONG! Not only do I run into a friend in the medicine aisle but also in the checkout aisle. I contemplated just throwing the clerk a $10 bill and running out saying, "Keep the change and no, I don't need a receipt!" I tried to pull my sweatshirt hood over my face hoping to be unrecognizable, but unfortunately I was unsuccessful. I couldn't have looked any worse and even as sick as I felt, it still didn't numb the embarrassment of being seen.

And more times than I can count, it's happened when I've had the rare opportunity to call it night early, by showering and getting ready for bed before 7 p.m. Inevitably, those are the evenings where I'm chilling on the couch, in my jammies and wet head, and someone knocks on the door. The girls ALWAYS just open it up and announce our visitor without a fleeting thought that their relaxing mom might not be presentable for visitors. A lot of times it's just my girls' friends and although I'm still a tad humiliated, I figure they're kids and who cares. But it's the times that it's the lady from church or the neighbor guy wanting to talk to Hubby, that I have to put on my best acting performance. As I stand in front of our evening guest, my hair half curly wet and half frizzy dry, my eyebrows still red from tweezing, and dressed in my finest baggy pajamas, I have to pretend that I'm totally comfortable with my homeless look and am just elated that someone has shown up unexpectedly!

I know one thing for sure though, it sure makes me revel in the times where I am dressed up and run into someone accidentally or have an unexpected guest. Sure wish I could get my timing right!