Eeyore's Silver Lining

I have a problem always seeing the negative and letting it get in the way of the positive. (No matter how trivial the negative may be.) The thing that makes this my way of thinking is that I seem to be followed by a dark cloud most of the time. It hovers over me day and night. If something could go wrong it probably will. Murphy's law. (There is a chapter in Murphy's book devoted to me.) Well, I think its time to look for the positive. Start being more like eeyore. Yes, it's true, Eeyore looks to the positive.

"It's snowing still," said Eeyore gloomily.

"So it is."

"And freezing."

"Is it?"

"Yes," said Eeyore. "However," he said, brightening up a little, "we haven't had an earthquake lately."

Well, there wasn't an earthquake, but let me tell you of my trip to Philadelphia this past weekend. It was a great idea in the planning stages. Cathie was presenting at a conference out there and had a room for a few nights. Madeline and I decided we would go out for a couple of days and check out the sights.
     As an airline employee, I fly standby for the flights. Things were very tight for us when Madeline and I left on Friday, but thanks to a friend, we made it on our flights and got to Philadelphia.
     We took the train from the airport to downtown. I had studied the map over and over so I knew where I was going to go when I got off the train. Madeline and I left the train station and headed south. Wrong. After walking many blocks we realized (thanks to a phone call from my wife) that we had gone the wrong way. It was cold and rainy, great day for a walk. We got to the hotel and headed for the pool. I needed some hot tub time to wash away my frustration. Joining us were six of the noisiest kids the earth has ever seen or heard. Madeline and I both agreed to go back to our room because it was way too loud. (Sounds like I'm turning into a grumpy old man, "Damn noisy kids anyway")
     The next day we got going early and spent the day sightseeing, just Madeline and I. We got back to the room about five o'clock and I checked on the flights for the following day. I wanted to see if we were going to fly out of Newark or Philadelphia, and what time a flight left that had room for the three of us. Well, for those of you who watched the news last weekend, there were a lot of storms out east, (including one over my head.) Flights were canceling up and down the east coast. We had no way to fly back home. The only alternative was to rent a car from Philadelphia, and drive the 1200 miles back home so we could be to work monday morning. We rushed out of the room and grabbed a cab for the airport. In our haste I lost the bag of souvenirs Madeline had so carefully picked out at the gift shop. I forgot my toothbrush. Not a big deal until you realize it is a $100 Sonicaire toothbrush. My camera lens broke.($650 for that one.)
     We had to pay the cab driver a good chunk of money for the ride. Finally a few hundred dollars later we had a car. We could see it through the window. It was about a hundred yards away. Did I mention it was the heaviest downpour I have ever seen? We got to the car, I proceded to load it in the pouring rain, getting soaked down to the skin. I was tired and miserable, and now I had to drive twenty hours, overnight, in the pouring rain to get home. We did eventually make it back to Kansas. I caught a bad cold from the whole ordeal, but are no worse for the wear. One thing I wanted to reflect on is Madeline and my day together, because how soon we forget what we got to do because of what we had to do.
    I realized that I would gladly do it all over again. Madeline and I had the best day together. It is not often just the two of us get to spend time together. We rode around Philly in a double decker bus and visited all the sights. Her and I ran up the "Rocky Steps" and jumped around like a couple of tourists. We saw independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. We made a wish on Bejamin Franklin's grave. We ate Philly cheese steak sandwiches while checking out the Reading Terminal Market. Betsy Ross's house, a masonic temple, city hall, wonderful works of art everywhere were ours to explore. It was a wonderful day together that I wouldn't have traded for anything.
     My free trip ended up costing me plenty, but I got much more in return. A memory to last a lifetime. So I again will try not to lose sight of the good stuff because of the crap surrounding it. At least there wasn't an earthquake.