We have survived the darkest moments and are "THIS" close to being closer to being almost close to being current on all our bills. This may seem pathetic coming from a fifty one year old woman but to me it feels like a tremendous success story and one I will laugh about to my grand kids.
My life is crazy and this week has been no exception. Yesterday morning when Tim was getting ready to leave for work he told me I had to go pay the gas company twenty bucks before they cut it off. Twenty bucks is easy to come up with and would limp us through til next month's bill was due. The power bill is what has killed us this summer and I keep the thermostat on 77 or 78. Tim said he was leaving a check for the power bill on the counter but not to take it by til late so hopefully it wouldn't be run through for a day or two. He gets paid on Friday and would have the money in his account after midnight Thursday. I guess he really HAS been paying attention to my check kiting skills!
After he left for work I crashed on the sofa to let me body rest. I can work as many days in a row as I need to but I have to nap in the mornings when everyone is gone and let my body rest til at least eleven. After that I'm good to go til two in the morning. I come home from work and do laundry, dishes, bathrooms and blog. Go to bed at two, sleep til eleven ..."Rinse and repeat."
I was in my zombie state on the couch in the living room when the door bell rang at nine AM. I peered over the back of the couch and didn't recognize the lady but recognized the foot long bright red tag she was placing on the front door knob. I knew it would say I had twenty four hours to pay the electric bill and would be not only in English but in Spanish on the flip side. She walked away and rounded the corner of the house so I quietly opened the door to remove the flashing neon sign letting all or neighbors know we were once again late with our electric bill. I closed the door and looked at the Spanish side...something looked different. I flipped it over and was horrified to read "We have disconnected your electricity for non payment.'
"YIKES!" I took off out the front door in my (thankfully extra large) John Deere tee shirt and undies, yesterday's mascara under my eyes and my hair looking like Woody Woodpecker on a bad day and caught the woman as she headed toward the power box. I called out that my husband had taken a check with him this morning and was paying the bill. (Big Fat Lie)
She said then she would leave the power on for a hour. I scrambled back into the house as two soccer mom's who live in my subdivision and have never even HAD to hold a job walked their little foo foo dogs by my house and tried to look away. "Screw them" I thought, and ran back into the kitchen and grabbed the late day intended check off the kitchen counter. I went back outside (still in my JD attire) and threw my husband under the bus. "Just like a man, he left the check for ME to take!" I asked if I could give it to her...already thinking "It will ride around with her all day long in her truck and when she gets back to work , hands it to a cashier who is ready to leave for the day; it will get stuck into a drawer and maybe not move for forty eight hours."
Am I a THINKER or WHAT?
Next stop was work to ask Barb if she would let Tim post date a check for Friday and her give us the cash to deposit today. Of course she said yes. It's not like I take four days off a week and ask for help. I tend to work thirty days in a row , the owners see that and are wonderful about helping me.
Went into work (again) tonight and God blessed me. I had a party of 14 men...got the tab up to $500 and they left me a tip of $104. Had two other tables and walked out the door in the black and gas money to spare.
I feel like sending out an alert to the bank "All systems go. Run the check through NOW...GO GO GO!"
Who would ever think that I would have to work this hard at the age of fifty one? NOT ME. But at least I now have a job I love and one that loves me.
I feel like a phoenix rising from the ashes...and you know what?
"I AM."
Made enough tonight to make every thing clear and still have electricity. Before you know it I will be paying on time!
I'd rather learn these lessons at the age of fifty one than at the age of seventy one.
At least I laugh at myself...it sometimes HAS been comical! It has been depressing and sometimes desperate but as a firm believer in Karma..."What goes around comes around."
I never knew the earth was so large but it finally seems to be rolling around my way.
Til next time...COTTON
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