power of postive thinking

Welcome to my worst week ever and possible one of the worst blogs ever.

I had to go far from home for military duty and spent Sunday driving to location. Sunday was Mother’s day and every hour, as I increased my distance from home, somebody would text me wishing me a happy day. What a time to have to leave my two beautiful children behind for Air Force mandates.

On Monday, I felt like I was coming down with a cold but decided to go to the gym with my supervisor for fitness training. Between the impending cold, the increased altitude, and a body lazy from an incredibly long drive, I embarrassingly added five minutes to my run time. I continued to work out and probably over trained my upper body and was sore before lunch. After lunch I looked forward to my much needed training on the things I work on (which are neither aircraft nor vehicles).

First thing Tuesday our shop, undermanned as it is, was slated for an additional duty. This irritated my supervisors, which are cranky old men to begin with, and they began cursing and stomping around. Me, the only almost free body, got to go do this duty…washing an aircraft!!!  Even thought I was already very sick with no voice a terrible cough a sore body and exhausted. However, I was assured I would only go for one day to ‘help’ with this task and that the other two days I would be traded out and some one else would have a turn. This was not so, I ended up doing it all three days, and my arms and wrist and back and shoulders (my whole upper body basically) hurt like burning pins stuck into my muscle fibers.

Now washing an airplane may not seem like that big a deal (or job) but those things are huge and we have to do it by hand with the only tool besides a scrubby is a broom stick looking thing to reach the really hard places. I always thought that are particular kind of planes were small for cargo type planes, but to actually walk up and touch it and try to scrub it ( the whole thing) was just amazing. It was like scrubbing mold and charcoal soot off the bathroom walls and ceiling forty feet in the air wearing full rain gear (actually bright orange trouser cover alls and coat with hood), rubber boots and gloves, and a face shield with a magic eraser, a hose and strong soap three hundred and fifty times for three days. To top things off the ‘soap’ we have to use is probably one of the most carcinogenic teratagen (poison chemical) we have around, this stuff is a million time stronger than Dawn concentrated and you should NEVER let it on your skin. Each of the three days I came back to my room soaked right through my uniform in either sweat or water from rinsing the plane. So Much Rinsing…I will probably have nightmares about this.

Wednesday, which I was pretty sure for most the day was at least Thursday, I was almost better except for my scratch voice, painful sinuses, and muscles that threaten to never scrub (or even lift up) again. I also got to spend the whole day washing more airplane, it seemed endless. I went to bed early to rest up for another day of scrubbing and heights. While I was laying in bed waiting for the sand man to give me some love my phone started to vibrate on the counter, a very annoying sound I am sure you have heard. I popped up to get it because being all the way out here it could have been an important call of some kind. On my way to the phone, in the dark, I very gracefully jammed my left pinkie toe into my luggage (which I strategically placed so that I did not do this to the wall) and either broke it or dislocated it. On my phone, a perverted text on how to wash a cup (message me and I will send you it exactly if you want) by a friend that might have been funny if I were not trying to suck back tears and foul language. I went to bed as red faced as ever

Thursday I hobbled around and finally finish the never ending plane wash and headed back to my shop. I walked in just in time to see ‘grouchy’ start lifting one of two barrels with a fork lift off an off-centered flatbed and nearly smash clobbered ‘grumpy’- who was shouting inaudibly over the forklift engine while trying to keep a hundred pound barrel from making him breakfast. I ran, against my foot’s will, and did the universal look over here, Stop what your doing, lower item arm waiving gestures. I found myself once again trying mot to cry in pain. They had me help move three pieces of furniture (another added duty that came up), then had to steam wash a corroded engine, the next task was to hook up and drive a large piece of equipment and drop off a mile away, and finally transfer 25 gallons of fuel from one thing to another…all in the last two hours of the work day.

I also missed my son’s program graduation and first performance, My husband cut the living wahoo out of his arm, the printer broke, my supervisor grumpy got stitches in his finger, grumpy had to go early for his sick child leaving one person to man a five person minimum shop, I bruised my arm…. The list could go on.

This was probably the not THE worst week (even considering all that I left out) but it was pretty close. During a brief interaction with the flight chief (the local in shop big boss), he noticed what a week I had and mentioned “well at least you still have a smile on your face”. This made me crackle a broken voice chuckle and squeak out that sometimes that’s all you have.

I realized that no matter how bad things get, a smile and a positive attitude can not only keep a person from completely breaking but can help other grouchy grumpy people from being complete bears. I know it is cheesy, but it is true.

Looking back I am only nine hours from home, the aircraft wash was a cool experience and I meet some really cool people, I have broken my little toe before and at least I only kicked a 'soft' luggage instead of the wall, I got to be a hero, and I am almost all better from my cold which I did not have to suffer through with the kids under my care and getting them sick, and I get to stay busy.

The reason horses get muzzle things is for steering because horses follow where their mouths go. Apparently people are not all that different. No matter how bad you think things are getting, keep on smiling and saying good positive things through any way that keeps it honest and you will not only ease your day but everyone else’s too. The honest part is important because lies and deceit I have found makes all feeling worse.

Thanks for sticking with me this far a nd suffering through a tarded blog.

I just thought I would share this tidbit and encourage you all to keep on moving forward with your thoughts and ideas and to stay upbeat and to reach the goal…happily