And This Is Why Leap Day Can Only Happen Every Four Years

Can you handle a tale from Bekahland today? Grab a cup of coffee. It will wear you out. (The tale, not the coffee.)

This was my day on Leap Day.

* Awakened to find that my phone had once again NOT charged during the night, though it was plugged in. When I jiggled the cord, it started charging. That didn't bode well.

* Got to work and looked online for the number to the cell phone company so I could see if this was something they needed to work out with me from a company standpoint or if I needed to go to the store (which is never a short adventure) that night. No such number exists, readily anyway, online. Got frustrated, gave up and attacked the stack of stuff on my desk instead.

* My breakfast wore off at NINE THIRTY and I had to have a snack. Good grief.

* At 11:30, left for YOYO (a yogurt shop) to meet a friend I've not seen in 4 1/2 years, who happened to be in Fort Wayne that day. Incidentally I set up this entire meeting at YOYO because I love it more than life itself and only days later did I remember I can't have frozen yogurt. It's a dessert. But someone at work informed me they have healthy smoothies - so I had my mind and heart set on that.

* Less than a block from YOYO, my phone rang. It was my friend, letting me know she had, in fact, gotten in an accident on her way to meet me. (One of my worst ever fears, by the way, is that someone will get in an accident on the way to see me.) She assured me everyone was okay but she would not be able to meet me at the yogurt shop.

*Pulled in the parking lot and pulled back out to go in search of her. Please note I do NOT KNOW THE CITY OF FORT WAYNE, so I was trying to find her (on the complete opposite side of town) knowing only the intersection where she was...and what limited headway my GPS would give me.

* Found her in a maze of lunch-hour-traffic-laden one way streets in the middle of downtown Fort Wayne. Waved as I drove by in search of a parking place.

* Yeah, those pretty much don't exist.

* Finally found one near a loading dock. Parked, realized there was a meter at this space. I think I've used a meter one time in my life and I had no idea how much change it took. Dumped in what I hoped would be enough and headed out on foot in search of my poor little friend.

* Realized I'd parked about EIGHT BLOCKS from the accident. Good grief.

* Realized it was 60 degrees and I was wearing my wool coat. Good grief AGAIN.

* Ran (in high heeled boots) the eight blocks, hoping I wasn't in the mugging part of town, what with my Mary Poppins sized purse.

* Arrived just as the tow truck pulled away with the other vehicle on it. Rode with her to park her car in a safe spot until her husband arrived and went into a little sandwich shop with her to meet her mom and kids...for about 10 minutes.

* Ran the eight blocks back to my car. Couldn't find my car. Figured it had been towed too, due to lack of accurate change.

* Found my car hiding behind a big ole SUV. (Where I left it...it's just that the SUV wasn't there then.)

* Got in the car and headed back to work. While formulating a plan to get a smoothie at McDonald's (which is not healthy but do NOT lecture me), I looked up and realized I was headed OUT of Fort Wayne. I'd totally driven past the road where I work. GOOD GRIEF FOREVER!

* Made it back to work. Managed to squeeze in the rest of the day's chores before heading out.

* Drove on fumes back to Marion, certain I could make it to town without getting more gas. Thirteen miles from my exit, I freaked out and stopped at the last chance gas station, on the off-chance that I would get stuck in an accident backup on the interstate and run out of gas. (To my credit, the wind was crazy nuts that day and semis are famous for wrecking in that kind of wind. It would be my luck to get right behind that.)

* Had to prepay for my gas, so went in and ended up behind a grandma playing ev.er.y.blessed.lottery.game.they.offered. And then she played again with her winnings. Methodically, I might add.

* Finally got out to pump the gas and looked down to find that my shirt (which ceased to fit a while ago) was flapping open in the breeze. I was aware that I should be mortified, but frankly by that point I didn't care.

* Went to dinner (a success all the way around) and then headed to the cell phone store.

* Amazingly enough, I got super quick service and was headed out in record time WITH a new phone en route to me. (No arguments or hassle. THANK YOU!!!)

* Went home and declared myself DONE with that day.

Hope you got the coffee. I warned ya!

And this is why leap day can only happen once every four years.

The end.