Confucius Says ...

Confucius says, "Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do."

I've become a real pro at getting up — both figuratively and literally. 

 

shirt — Crazy Horse (thrifted)

sweater — Ann Taylor Loft (thrifted)

skirt — Talbots (thrifted)

boots — Classique (thrifted)

Do you ever have one of those days that starts off great, and then goes steadily downhill?  Or maybe the day just starts off bad and keeps getting worse? I had such a day a week ago. 

 

That particular day started off pretty good. I woke up and got myself ready for my fabulous new job in Washington, D.C. (and I mean new job — I was just two weeks into it at that point). I remember really liking my outfit, and being kind of surprised that I was able to put it together in the wee hours of the morning. I remember feeling pretty darn good about myself — I was strutting and preening in front of the mirror before I left the house. I loved how my skirt moved; I liked my boots; and I really, really liked my big heavy necklace, which one of the guys at work even complimented me on. (I also wore bracelets and rings, but I forgot to put them back on — you'll have to imagine them.)

 

Everything else that morning went pretty smoothly. The train arrived on time in DC at 8:17 a.m., and I joined the hordes of commuters streaming every which way out of Union Station. I had almost made it out of the building, when all of a sudden ...   

... my foot slipped, and down, down I went. In front of everybody!

And I mean, I went S-P-L-A-T. And not just me. My cell phone went flying (and boy did it fly on those polished walkways — too bad I wasn't playing shuffleboard with it). My apples and oranges were rolling everywhere.

  

 

There I was, sprawled on the ground in the middle of Union Station in DC. Oh. My. God. How humiliating is that? No way to pretend that it hadn't happened (you know, like when you wave at somebody you thought was waving at you but they weren't so you just pretend that you were scratching your ear or waving at the person behind them?). 

I picked myself up as gracefully as I could, picked up my cell phone, my apples, and my oranges, and everything else that had fallen out of my overstuffed bag, and continued on my merry way, not realizing that I was going to have to pick myself up yet again before the day was over.

The rest of the day was rather uneventful. I was working on a deadline, so I kept my head buried in my work for the most part, and I was making a lot of progress. Time just flew by that day. I was feeling pretty about where I was, and what I was doing.

And then ... And then ... [insert the sound of ominous music here]

 

Just as I was just packing up so I could catch the train home, my boss's boss (you know, the head honcho guy) stopped by and asked if he could talk with me for a few minutes in the conference room. Ummmm ... okay. What was I going to say, "No. I can't talk now, I have to catch the train. Hit me up tomorrow if you want to talk." 

I'm following him down the hallway, and I'm thinking, this is not good, and I'm wracking my brain trying to figure out what I did wrong. Did I dress inappropriately one day? Did I say the wrong thing to the wrong person?

No. This was not going to be good at all. 

We go in the conference room. He shuts the door, and tells me that my position was being eliminated. Just like that. Poof! Up in smoke. My dream job was gone. I can't even begin to tell you the feelings that came over me at that moment. Disbelief. Panic. Shock. Sadness. I wanted to laugh hysterically and then cry. I wanted to stamp my feet and scream, "NO! You can't do this to me. What am I supposed to do with my month-long train ticket? I bought an iPad so I could do work on the train." And ... and ... and ...

AGGGGH!  

(to be continued ... )

I'm linking this post to Megan Mae and Keely's This or That Challenge. 

They have the best challenges! I just wish that I could keep up with them!

I'm a day early for this one — this outfit should really be for tomorrow's dots or stripes challenge (my skirt is actually polka dots). But tomorrow is already today, so maybe I'm right on time?

  

Also, since my outfit was 100% thifted, I'm linking to Spunky Chateau, Thursday is for Thrifters Challenge. 

BTW, I also wore this sweater here. Which look do you like better?

What should I do with the bottoms of these boots so I don't slip and fall the next time that I wear them?