2010s, culture, In My Opinion, inspiration

IMO: This morning belonged to Murphy.

Cindy Bruchman

Here is what happened to me this morning in the following order beginning at 7:00a.m.

  1. I woke up late. I never sleep to 7.
  2. I had no coffee to grind for the percolator. I never go without coffee in the morning.
  3. I searched deep into the pantry and found decaffeinated. I never drink decaffeinated. It tasted disgusting.
  4. My kindergarten granddaughter wouldn’t do her homework and refused to brush her teeth. I’m never this late leaving the house to drive to my school.
  5. My gray sweater was wrinkled. My mascara was dry and clumpy. My hair was damp and limp. I never go to school like this.
  6. Today, for German class, I had scheduled a Weihnachten party to introduce my students to traditional goodies. Not only had I not made Stollen, Pfeffernüsse or Lebkuchen the night before, but I didn’t have time to purchase store-bought imitations. I had to rely on students to make the classic German cookies and remember to bring them in.
  7. I pulled into the school parking lot and someone had parked in my spot. Thus, I had to drive around the other side of the school and park in the guest parking while 900 people were trying to get inside school simultaneously.
  8. The school bell rang to start school, and I was nowhere near my classroom.
  9. I entered my room after the final bell, and when I turned on my computer to take attendance, the system had locked me out. After calling and insisting someone from IT help me, I suddenly remembered my new password, thereby, wasting their time and felt like an idiot.
  10. My opening activity was missing from my desk. I swear I made copies yesterday. Where did I put them? Twenty-five faces looked at me wondering why we weren’t doing something.
  11. After school today, as the sponsor of Interact Club, I am to buy the wish list presents for the residents at a local nursing home. Our club wraps and delivers them tomorrow. I was notified that I couldn’t use the school credit card because of an administrative complication. I don’t have $300 to personally buy presents for the fifteen “forgotten ones”. Will I have to call off the event disappointing the elderly and the teenagers who had organized the event?

It was only 8:30am. By this point, I threw up my hands and gave up trying to control the day. Murphy’s Law was in full effect. “Whatever can go wrong, will.” 

I took a breath and let it all go. The students filed in with containers and plates full of Lebkuchen and Pfeffernüsse.  Several of them told me they stayed up late last night making them with their dad or mom. They thanked me for the opportunity saying it had been a memorable event for them as a family.

Just like that, I caught the Christmas spirit and my sour day turned into a good one.

And it wasn’t even noon.

Not my Pfeffernüsse.

Published by Cindy Bruchman

AZ educator, writer, traveler, movie buff

29 thoughts on “IMO: This morning belonged to Murphy.”

  1. That was definitely a bad start to a day. And it could easily have gone downhill from there, especially if I had been writing your story. Not only did it come good in the end, you now have me wanting to go out in the rain and fog to buy Stollen! 🙂 (I’m not doing that though…)
    Best wishes, Pete. x

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    1. Ha!
      I was so happy they remembered. The food was great. No one cared my hair and clothes weren’t tidy. No one cared that I wasn’t the “perfect” teacher. A nice reminder not to try so hard. Like a writer who creates the script, the habit of controling one’s world can backfire. It’s good to sit back and let others do it all. 😉

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  2. Aww, Cindy! You helped your students to feel needed and gave them happy holiday memories, too!! Stopping by to say, “Merry Christmas and may your New Year be filled with best of health, happiness and teachable moments!”
    I am on Instagram as robincochran55 and on Facebook as Robin O. Cochran (Delaware, Ohio) 🙂 ❤ ❤

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    1. Merry Christmas, Robyn!! Thanks for sharing. I choose not to engage in Facebook and I’ve never instagramed before. I find it hard enough to keep up blogging. But I’m happy you are busy and well. Thank you very much for stopping by!

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      1. I understand about FB, Cindy! I didn’t ever think I would seek conversations and posts found in a personal realm. Being a teacher/professor I imagine it is tough in more than one way.
        It is hard to stay in touch with so many people who were following me, some I will miss very much. This has helped whittle down to those who write (many are on Instagram). Those who were brilliant or environmental friends from my younger years of my Science and Spanish Club days show up, then the orchestra and thespian days. . .
        It is good to only have to respond and not feel compelled to write. I spent so much time composing and trying to be interesting. My blogging lasted for almost 7 years, at least. Thanks, Cindy for our movie conversations! 🎞️ 🎞️ 🎥

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  4. I can remember when my daughter was living in Belgium they decided to take a quick trip across Holland to Germany for Starbucks coffee. LOL. While there Georgine discovered a German confectionary shop nearby and rushed over thinking of all those goodies she enjoyed in her childhood only to find none of her favourites were available. I must show her this picture to get her frothing at the mouth. 🙂 I do remember taking her back to little village Ashbach in Bavaria where they fled to during the war. She found the bakery that was still in business and we bought out their entire stock of their specialties between the three families visiting.

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    1. What a fabulous recollection! Thank you for sharing, Ian. I have nothing but fond memories of my grandmother and aunts around the Christmas season. Advent calenders and the Weihnachtspyramide and German carols really kept me spellbound.

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    1. Good for Rose. They were delicious. In our school, we have a 60/40 mix of white/hispanic. I have several hispanic students taking German (trilingual–how cool is that?) and they got a kick out of the Pfeffernüsse thinking it would taste like a Mexican Wedding cookie. But it was different. Nothing like sampling food from different cultures.

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  7. I thought that you were going to say at the end that it was just a dream. It’s certainly like my teacher’s dreams and those of a lot of my colleagues.
    I am always looking for a Year 8 class I have to teach, and they are always on the far side of the school. I’ve never yet got there before the end-of-lesson bell goes.

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    1. Ha! It must be a teacher’s dilemna. I have had reoccuring dreams of this reality. How strange it came true. After school I bought fresh coffee. I set my alarm an hour earlier than usual. No chance for a repeat today!

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    1. Ha! I’ll have to look it up. My morning became comical after awhile. I started to wait for the next hit. A fast paced, roller coaster day. By afternoon I was whistling and relaxed, the morning misadventures forgotten. Thank you for stopping by, Jennie.

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