OK, for someone who has made it two-thirds of the way through the year of gratitude and joy, you just had to know it was coming. Everyone has one of those days when everything … I mean every! little! thing!! seems to irk you. A few years ago I described myself on a day like this as having an “irk-i-tude.”
We have had a spectacular visit to South Dakota except for a few mis-steps. Let me preface the upcoming rant with this: I am grateful that people understand that even the happiest among us are allowed to have a bad day once in a while. I am exceptionally grateful for the few close friends with whom I can rant and curse and just generally “get it off my chest.”
Here’s how today went. I woke up with a bit of a headache. I’m convinced it’s a combination of hotel HVAC (when have you ever experienced great AC or heat in a hotel room?) and a blazing lack of water yesterday leading to dehydration.
As I was getting dressed, Enzo decided to attack my tennis shoe lace and chewed the end off one of the loops. His favorite thing up to now has been the little plastic tip on the end of the laces, this time he went for the middle!
We researched the route for our intended drive to Devil’s Tower, Wyoming and headed west. Google maps told us that to avoid a highway shutdown we should take a specific exit. We did and ended up unable to get back onto the interstate! We had to go back four miles to the exit we’d taken and follow the signs posted that clearly disagreed with Google.
The drive was beautiful. I cannot express how majestic and magnificent this part of the country is … but it is also desolate. There are few towns and fewer places to take a break. That was frustrating (and a little uncomfortable!).
We got to Devil’s Tower only to discover that dogs are not allowed on the paved walkway. They are only allowed in the parking lot and the campground. So we snapped an obligatory selfie, grumbled about why a pet being carried should be forbidden on a sidewalk, and got the heck out of that park!
It took two and a half hours to get to Devil’s Tower, so now we had to get back. We opted for the scenic route through Spearfish Canyon and planned to stop in Deadwood for lunch. Starving, bored of being in the car and ready for a break from the road, we got to our lunch stop about 2:30. Thank goodness for Mustang Sally’s. We’d learned that “bringfido.com” isn’t always correct, but that nearly every place with outdoor seating was dog friendly. We shared a delicious burger and some perfectly awful (as they should be!!) chili cheese fries. Refreshed and a little relaxed, we strolled up one side of Main Street and down the other returning to our car for the final leg back to the hotel.
To top off the day, we swung into a grocery store for some snacks and drinks for the evening only to find several things out of stock or oddly shelved — I am SO grateful for knowing where everything is in my regular grocery store!
Now it is the end of the day. I am trying to shake the myriad of little irritations that followed me throughout the day. I am so grateful that Greg is patient with me and, in this case, shared my frustrations so we could rant together. It’s kind of crazy, but having someone to rant with is a joyous thing.
There’s a whole world out there just waiting to be explored. Every day can’t be perfect.
© The World A to Z, LLC 2022 — Unless otherwise indicated, no compensation was received for this blog.
The World A to Z 
I once worked with a guy named Earl Hager. He was either Swiss, German or Austrian, as was almost everyone else at The Swiss Colony (mail or food gifts). Somewhere in each discussion Earl always said, “tomorrow will be a better day”. I hope it works that way for you. Safe travels to the three of you. We’ve got the home front covered.
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