Do you remember the children’s book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst?

It’s such a fun read. 

And even though my son is twelve now, it still sits on his bookcase. (So does The Cat in the Hat. Some books are timeless classics, after all.)

Alexander is having a tough day. It started when he woke up with gum in his hair. Throughout his day, one bad thing after another keeps happening to poor Alexander. He’s convinced life would be better if he moved to Australia.

His mother reminds him that “some days are like that. Even in Australia.”

Lately, I’ve been borrowing Alexander’s words, telling my family that I’m moving to Australia. Here’s why:

– I woke up before my husband’s alarm, after a fitful night’s sleep. My calf felt tight and it hurt just to lie in bed, just to have my calf resting against the mattress.

– I kept dropping things on the floor as I prepared breakfast. The chocolate chips for my son’s Eggo Waffle. My Cheerios.

– I couldn’t decide what to wear. All my usual jeans felt as if they had transformed into Skinny Jeans overnight. They seemed to grip my leg, like plastic wrap covering a plate of leftovers. 

– I went for a neighborhood walk with my son. I felt okay when we left the house. Somewhere, somehow while we were out, the pain came back. It didn’t creep back in either. It barged in. I limped home.

– I went upstairs to get my book, and as I did my knees creaked and groaned. It was painful to listen to and painful to climb the stairs.

– I went to sit out on our patio, to enjoy the sunshine and the colorful sight of my blooming plants, only to discover one of the neighbor’s dogs had pooped on my patio.

– I watered my plants after reading and somehow spilled water onto my feet instead.

– I spent time in the kitchen, boiling water for pasta, hand washing my son’s favorite popcorn bowl, and had to lean against the kitchen counter. My thigh began to hurt. Hurt like someone or something had hit it. Hard.

– I gingerly touched my leg, trying to find out why it felt different. The back of my left knee was puffy, swollen, and tender.

– I dealt with the pain all day long. 

– It wasn’t a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

– But it wasn’t a wonderful, fantastic, great, very good day either. 

But I think even in Australia my leg would hurt, my socks would get wet if water spilled on them, and I’d be annoyed and disgusted to find dog poop on my patio.