Ever have one of those days? Yesterday was one for me.
Worked all morning on Thursday’s serious blog post when, oh, look at that. It’s noon! And by the way, the post is mopping the floor with me. Hmm. Wonder what’s for lunch?
Stumbled to the kitchen to pour myself a cup of ambition. But I got nothing.
No caffeine in the house. No appetizing morsel awaiting me in the fridge. Blood sugar is plummeting. Approaching meltdown status.
Suddenly I felt the urge to escape. To break free from the four walls of the house. Flee from the heavy subject matter I’d been tackling. Make a run for the border. Come on, baby, drive south!
That’s it, I thought. I’ll simply escort myself out. Next thing I know, I’m in the truck driving down our friendly neighborhood street. Headed for some destination yet unknown to me.
Had I been showered and dressed I’d have gone to the mall. Where else does a Gen X girl go when in flight?
But a shower had evaded me that morning, I hadn’t even brushed my hair, and I was still wearing Monday’s outfit. Nix the mall.
Bread Company? Been there. Qdoba? Done that. Chinese? No. Salad bar? What?
How about a drive thru? Nu-uh. That would mean I’d have pick up and go home to eat alone. I was escaping, remember?
The truck, sensing my distess, turned south on a major thoroughfare.
“Ah,” I said. “I know where we’re going.”
The truck didn’t answer. It just carried me forward, meticulously obeying traffic signals all the way.
“We’re going to McDonald’s, aren’t we?” I said.
Sure enough, we soon arrived at the Golden Arches. Three dollars and 71 cents later, I had lunch, CNN, and people watching. And no one cared about my hair or how I was dressed.
There are healthier options than a cheeseburger, like making a salad at home. More ecological means of transport than the truck, like riding that shiny purple bike. Maybe I’ll try those today. Or tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow’s looking better already.
But I’m reminded how my grandparents used to take us kids to McDonald’s as a special treat. How the Happy Meal was elevated to near comfort food status.
And I for one am thankful McDonald’s will still do fine for lunch in a pinch on a day otherwise in peril.
Be brave. Be strong. Don’t give up.
Expect God to get here soon. Psalm 31:24 The Message
Bad Day by Daniel Powter. We all have ’em.
Now I want McDonalds! what a great exscape!
Wholymoly, it was the picture of the fries that did you in, wasn’t it?
McDonald’s was always a huge treat for us when we were kids! :)
Me too, Sara (no H–I love that! I’m Aimee: A-I-M like the toothpaste with double Es at the end.). And we used to get the Happy Meals with COOKIES that are now a “sometimes food.” Those were the days…
AMEN. When I was on the road doing the focus groups by myself, I’d stop by Mc D’s after the last group on the drive to the next city. Just me, the open road, a sunset and some of the best fries around. When I couldn’t end the day with a glass of red, this became the wine of road trips.
“The wine of road trips.” Lisa, I think that in itself could be the most classic line I’ve read today. You understand me. Love. It.
Um, I love this. McDonald’s is sometimes akin to comfort food for me, too. Sometimes, a girl just needs a cheeseburger :)
And I’m looking forward to Thursday’s post!
Yes, sometimes a cheeseburger is the only cure. Glad to know I’m not the only one who thinks of McDonald’s as a sort of comfort food. It’s always the same no matter where you go. That in itself is comforting. The salt and fat pumps up the comfort factor a bit too.
I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s post too (if it doesn’t kill me first). It’s the second in the 9/11 three. Just writing my little snippets of memories and connections is unexpectedly taxing on the old emotions. But it’s in my mind and it has to get out. My hunch is it’s a common experience for my countrymen. We’ll see how it goes with an audience… Hope you’ll let me know what you think!