Bad temper

It was one of those days today. I arrived at work just before 7am. It was Monday morning and I was fresh, sprightly, and rearing to go. I was first to arrive in the building as I like to be, and especially so when I have a point or two to prove to my boss, in other words, when I want to impress him.

Anyway it was all good until things started to go downhill. First of all, arriving at the front door I searched my pockets for my keys to the building, a fruitless search that became more frantic by the second. In fact, so hot under the collar and frenetic was I becoming that I grew vaguely aware of a sense of embarrassment, as I stood pulling out my pockets on a very busy rush-hour pavement. (I didn't want to think about all those stares I was attracting). Needless to say, it was pointless searching for keys in pockets that are empty, so hefting my briefcase, I made my way back to the Council housing estate behind our building where I had triumphantly beat everyone to it and parked my car in that coveted parking space close to the exit. Suffice it to say that the search of the car produced no positive results either. Those keys were nowhere in sight. And it was still 7am.

So of course when 9am rolled along and Silla, our prim, very efficient, and very punctual Mauritian secretary turned the corner and made her brisk way towards me standing on the pavement in front of the building, the relief was palpable. Sure, I'd spent much of the intervening 2 hours sitting in the car listening to the radio, but I was angry that the task I'd set for myself this morning would not now be accomplished, as I'd no longer have the peace and quiet needed for it. The phone won't stop ringing, and then there would be this or that instruction to give to Silla regarding something that just arrived in the post; or that client to see, this phone call to take, and that representation to make..and I would get so godawful busy, that task that was meant to be done early this morning would remain undone, unless I dared to put in a few hours after everyone's gone home in the evening.

My favourite time of day is in the early morning. I like the freshness of the air, the peace. My mind is at its sharpest at this time, and it is when I like to take on the most difficult things that I have to take on mentally. But it is also the time when I like to listen to Magic FM, and while still in my bedclothes, sit in front of the computer at home with a piping mug of coffee. I missed out on this this morning because I had to rush to work. And it appears that it was in rushing out of the flat that I neglected to move the office keys from my rucksack, the one that I'd had with me over the weekend when I stopped over at the office.

Which of course means that the task that I set out to do early this morning has still not been done, and it's now nearly 9pm. And I've been bad tempered all day. I even snapped at Silla. Poor thing, she's so good natured and always so warm. I know she'll understand that I was having a bad day, and I intend to apologise to her the minute she steps into the office tomorrow morning. I'll be the first to arrive, and I will have my keys.