A Bad Day

There are devastating days and then there are just bad days. Devastating days are the ones when a loved one dies, or you lose a job. Bad days are simply those when a series of minor events goes wrong. In my life, I have been fortunate not to have many devastating days. I do have a classic bad day example to share.

It was late October, 1996. I and 2 other co-workers were on a business trip to Orlando. It was my first trip for Sprint. The plan was to fly down on a Wednesday morning, attend vendor meetings on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, and then fly back to Kansas City on Thursday afternoon. The trip had an ominous start as the plane set down in Nashville with mechanical problems. The airline was a small one that did not have another plane in Nashville, so the airline let us know that we were on our own. We booked a new flight on another airline and arrived in Orlando just as the Thursday meeting concluded. We'll, there are worse places to go for no reason, so you say an evening in Orlando isn't so bad.

We had our Thursday morning meeting with the vendor and returned to the airport to catch our flight back to KC. We were supposed to leave Orlando at 5:00 PM, but found that the flight was delayed by 1 hour. During the delay, I called home. Terri informed me that KC was in the middle of an unexpected snow storm, so that must be the reason for the delay. What a surprise. The forecast when we left KC was for a temperature in the mid-40's with a slim chance for light rain.

At around 6:00 PM, we departed Orlando with an expected arrival in KC of around 9:00. The flight was smooth and uneventful. When we were about 45 minutes outside of KC, the pilot came on the intercom and told us that the KC airport had just closed due to weather conditions. He said that we had enough fuel to circle for an hour or so waiting for it to reopen, but would then need to head for another airport. So we circled for an hour. The airport remained closed. so we then diverted to Omaha. After a hard landing due to high cross-winds, we gassed up and immediately took off for the recently reopened KC airport.

After getting fuel, the pilot asked that we pull our belts tight because "it's going to be a rough ride". And it was. Strong cross-winds buffeted the plane again. Air sick bags became high demand items, but we made it to KC safely at 2:30 AM. Now the bad day starts.

After collecting my luggage, I stood at the bus station waiting for a ride to the satellite parking area. Accompanying me on the trip was my boss. Since it was after midnight, I asked if this was considered a travel day, meaning, I would not need to show up at the office the next morning. "Nice try" he said. "Be there by 9:00". Yoohoo! An extra hour of sleep.

I had not brought a coat since it was in the 80's in Orlando and the forecast was expected to be relatively mild in KC on Thursday evening. Wrong. The temperature was in the 20's and the snow was 10 inches deep. Sweeping the snow off your vehicle in those conditions wearing a short sleeve shirt was the first bad thing in the next 24 hours.

After thawing my truck out, I started the 45 minute drive home. I might make it by 3:30 or 4:00 AM. I remember watching the blue flashes across the entire city on my drive. You see, in late October, KC trees still have their leaves. When you add 10 inches of wet snow, the tree limbs fall and take down power lines. The blue flashes were electrical transformers blowing all over the city.

I arrive home after a long day. No power. Luckily I had a gas hot water heater, so was able to get a warm shower before retiring. I was up and out of bed by 8:00 and out the door by 8:30. The storm had caused massive power outages across the city, so traffic was a mess. Progress to work was stop and go.

My truck began to overheat. Soon, I decided to pull into a local car repair shop and drop the truck off for repair. I called Terri, who picked me up in our mini-van and delivered me to work. I made it by 10:00 and sought out my boss to make excuses. He wasn't in. Instead I listen to a voicemail from him stating that due to the late arrival the night before, he would be in after lunch.

I go about my normal workday and my boss never shows. Bosses, harrumph! I finish out the day and catch a ride home. Upon arriving, I notice that the driveway has been cleared. It turns out that Lyndy cleared it. That is the good news. The bad news is that she used her car's headlights to light up her work, and now the battery in car was dead. No problem. I gladly trade giving her a jump start for not having to clear the driveway.

I pull our mini-van out and hooked up the jumper cables. She turns the key and bam! The battery on the mini-van explodes. Cables were hooked up correctly, but the 4 year old battery was starting to degrade. The added load pushed it over the edge.

I remember this moment very clearly. I am tired, standing in the cold and dark. I started the day with 3 operational vehicles. Now all were broke. I had no power or warmth in my house. I was hungry, but had no food, or power to cook with. This was the low point in the day. Things then started to turn positive as a neighbor loaned me their car, which I used to go purchase a new battery. Once the new battery was installed, I was able to jump start Lyndy's car, so 2 of 3 vehicles I could repair were now operational.

Then the family and I then went in search of dinner along with the rest of the community. Dinner that night was at Boston Market. Not because we like Boston Market, but rather they were the only restaurant we found that had food left. After a long wait we dined on what was left for sale, notr necessarily what we wanted.

I will always remember that day as one that Murphy's Law prevailed. Anything that could go wrong, did.