From bad mood to good - a tale of printers & earrings

I have a short neck.

This will become relevant in a moment, I promise.

But before we get there, I have to confess - I have been in a serious funk these last couple of days.  It's been the kind of funk that hangs around; even when I shake it off for an hour or two, it comes back.  The kind of funk that makes me see meanness in the laughter of others, even when it's not there, or the kind that means I get pissed off when someone enters my office without knocking.  Ridiculous stuff.  The kind of stuff I KNOW is unreasonable, yet I can't stop myself from feeling it.

So back to my short neck.  We've established that I have one, and also have a habit of leaning my elbows on a desk/table and scrunching up my shoulders, which pushes the earrings out of my ears.  It happens mostly on my right side, which has led to a plethora of lost single earrings in my life (and a lot of cute wine glass tags, for all you crafty types).  So recently, I've taken to wearing those clear plastic tab-thingies that keep earrings in your ears.  Sexy.

Anyway, this morning I put on a pair of earrings and briefly contemplated wearing the plastic tabs.  Then I said no.  No plastic tabs.  I want freedom.  And off I went to work.

The funk continued through the morning.  Grumble, grumble, grumble.  Until...

Just before lunch, a colleague was in the hallway at the printer outside my office, printing things.  I wasn't paying any attention to him. Then, he poked his head in my door and asked, "Jodi, do you want me to close your door?  I know how loud this printer can be."

Folks, I've gotta tell you, I almost teared up.  The printer IS loud (especially when it breaks and the only way to fix it is to slam the doors multiple times), but I've gotten to the point where I tune it out.  That's not the point.  He thought to ask.  Without anything to gain from it.  I felt like I needed to buy him flowers or something. 

That simple little act of courtesy flipped a switch in my head, and my bad mood was GONE.  Poof.  Just like that.

I sailed down to a meeting, then jumped in the car to drive to another one.  A quick glance in the mirror revealed that I'd lost one of my earrings, a pretty pair that my parents got me for Christmas.  I groaned, but before my grumpy side could say "I told you so", I thought, "Whatever. I'll find it.  It's gotta be around somehwere."  Optimism?  From grumpy-pants me?  What the?

Back from the meeting, I learned more good news about work, and Facebook revealed some really great news from a friend (he got a $100,000 grant for his organization - that is frickin huge!!!!), and then I started to pack up to go home.

I glanced down to pick up my purse.

Right there, shiny and gleaming on the carpet, waiting to be noticed, was my missing earring.

Thanks, universe.  And thanks to my colleague.  I like this mood much better.