dagnabbit

What a start to a new year. Truly.
Today the American Legion Post to which I belong was having a fundraiser for nursing scholarships at the beach. I've never been to this function and, as my bird had to work, I decided that would be a quite lovely way to begin my year: at the beach, doing good for others.
So, after breakfast, and a couple of episodes of The Twilight Zone, off I went. And a beautiful blue sky day it was! Warm, too, needing only a light jacket to ward off the cold-tinged breeze. Ah, yes!
But I had the directions wrong. Somehow, I thought the function was to be near the pier and pavilion, so that's where I went. The parking meter refused to accept my credit card, but I noticed someone else having the same problem and decided to go ahead and seek out my Post.
And things just started falling apart. I walked up and down the pier, looking for the Legionnaires. No success. I decided to go visit the marine science center at the foot of the pier. It was closed. So, I headed back to the car, only to find the parking police had beat me there and left me a $35 citation. WHAT?! For lack of a $3 slip of paper I was being hit up with a fine that was more than tenfold that amount?? No, no, no, I was going to wait by the parking police vehicle, right there in the parking lot, until he returned and I could show him the meter that refused my credit card and led to this mistaken fine.
And I waited. And waited. Apparently, he had just started his rounds and had a lot of other vehicles to cite, as I waited almost exactly an hour for his return. And even so, I very nearly missed him. The speed with which he approached and entered his vehicle was amazing. Nonetheless, I stepped quickly in front of the vehicle and to the driver's side door. He came out to speak with me and I started with my complaint about the meter and my card. He countered with no one else had said anything about a broken meter, at which point I pulled out my card and pointed out the offending meter and asked him to see if HE could get the machine to give me a parking slip. Taking my card, in a trice he had the machine do that very thing! He could tell from my face that I was completely taken aback, so he said he would adjust the charge of my citation. Numbly, I gave it to him and he scribbled on it. (I'm still unclear whether he took $20 off or whether the charge is now $20.) Then I repeated that I had come to the beach in the first place for the American Legion fundraiser and he says "That's at the other end of the beach. It's almost over now."
And that's when I lost control and the tears rolled down my cheeks. What a terrible start to the new year! I had missed the fundraiser and the chance to get to know some of my fellow legionnaires better. I had missed my chance to start the new year helping others. I had missed it ALL... AND I had been penalized, to boot. I was inconsolable. But I was also determined to utilize the parking slip I had just received. I had until 5:26 PM before I HAD to move my car and , by golly, I was not moving it before then! Dagnabbit!
And so I stayed. The day was losing its warmth and the wind was picking up, but I persisted, blotting my tears with the sleeve of my jacket. I wanted to sit in the sun and look at the ocean and listen to the waves. But, no. Both swings were occupied. So I leaned on the lifeguard station and waited. And wept and waited and rocked myself. And eventually the sound of the lifeblood of this planet got through to me and calmed me. And eventually the young people in one swing left and I was able to sit there and rock myself.
After about fifteen minutes of that, I was cold and calm and ready to get warm. I drifted into Fannie's, remembering the hoppin' john from two years ago - or was it only last year? There, I received the nurturing I needed to turn the day around. Hot coffee, fresh chips and salsa. Crayons on the table to leave my mark. Hoppin' john, with greens and a warm doughy biscuit. And a waitress who kept showing up at the right time, with a kind word, a warm smile, a touch up of coffee. Ahhhh.
And all was again right, or at least right enough, for this first day of 2011.
The time was 5:21 PM as I pulled out of the lot. Time to spare.