Kimchi and Eggs
On Monday I woke up feeling great. I was excited to start a new month and ready to take on a very busy work week. I got up early, poured my coffee, and decided I would go into the office instead of working from home. That meant I had to pack food, do a little extra prep, and get dressed for business (i.e. no house slippers).
First I went to the kitchen to pack a hearty salad for lunch. Then I sautéed egg whites, spinach, and kimchi for my breakfast and put that in a to-go container as well. I wanted to get to the office early, have my breakfast there, and get a jump-start on emails before the first Zoom call of the day with my team.
I was feeling energized and motivated as I prepped for the day. As I thought about the clients I’d be meeting with this week, I began brainstorming planning ideas for them. I even got dressed in a fancier-than-normal outfit. If I was going to really take on the day, I was going all out.
That’s when I noticed my Louis Vuitton briefcase tucked in the corner of my closet. I hadn’t used it since the pandemic started. Since I wasn’t meeting anyone in person, I had put away my fancy briefcase along with my high heels, and had been opting for more practical shoes and a basic tote bag for my belongings on the days I went into the office. But on Monday, I thought “I love that bag, and I’m going to use it even if I’m the only one who’s going to see it. And I’m putting on high-heeled boots too.”
Packed and ready to conquer the week, I got into my car, turned on my favorite country station, and headed to my building. Even though my commute is only ten minutes, I wanted to take the time to crank up some great music and keep my already-awesome day on the right track. It was only 7:20am.
Halfway through my ride, I was about to make a righthand turn when the car in front of me stopped quickly. I slammed on my brakes. In two seconds, I heard my briefcase fall off the backseat, hit the back of my chair and slam to the floor behind me. I tried to reach it but couldn’t. From the noise it made, I knew my entire container of colored pencils spilled everywhere. I should know better than to carry then in an open cup, but it’s easy to access them all day for my notes if they aren’t in a zipped up bag.
I was just about to turn into my parking lot when I noticed a really disgusting smell. It was like rotten eggs mixed with old garbage and I worried it might be coming from my car.
And then the smell became oddly familiar. Kimchi and eggs. My breakfast. I had put it in a to-go container that seemed safe for travel. But apparently when I stopped quick and my bag tipped over, the lid to my container came undone. I parked the car, got out of the front seat, and reluctantly opened the door to the backseat.
There were my 50 colored pencils all over the floor, points broken off and some even rolled far under the seat. But that was nothing compared to the scrambled-egg-and-kimchi breakfast now soaking into the bottom of my Louis Vuitton briefcase.
If you are not familiar with kimchi, it’s a really healthy probiotic— but it’s made with fermented cabbage, ginger and garlic. It smells disgusting. In fact, the only reason I thought it was okay to bring such a foul-smelling breakfast to work was the fact that I’d be the only one there.
I will spare you the details of my attempt to clean up my briefcase. My early-to-work Monday plan was derailed by my having to deal with an unexpected mess. Suddenly I also regretted the high-heeled boots I was in. As you can imagine, all I could do was laugh. A lot. Picture me in my building, all dressed up and alone, sharpening my broken pencils while also trying to stuff my LV bag with paper towels in an attempt to salvage it. Need I say more?
Sometimes we realize that the plan is not the plan. We can be prepared and organized and ready for every appointment on the calendar, and somehow end up sidetracked with a breakfast-filled briefcase. Remember this story when you find yourself having an unexpected, disappointing, or derailed kind of day. These are the moments when we have to choose to take life a little less seriously. Instead of getting upset, give yourself a break, share your story with someone else, and when all else fails, take a moment to laugh.
