What Happens When You Don't Set Your Alarm

QUESTION: What happens when you don't set your alarm in the morning?

ANSWER: You start your day already behind and your day might (OK, more than likely WILL) include various unexpected permutations that result in stress, something I am trying my darnedest to eliminate.

And guess what? This morning that is exactly how I started my day.

• My alarm didn't go off (of course not, I didn't set it, I rely on either Howie's alarm or Tianna's alarm to wake me up, a problem, I agree).
• Howie left WAY early this morning. I fell back asleep.
• Tianna's alarm also didn't go off. Now, I have no idea why that is because every weekend morning it wakes us all up because it goes off perfectly.
• I get Tianna, who is a morning person up, grab my coat and headed out the door all within seven minutes. Not bad.
• I let Nicole continue to sleep (Yes, there are other people in the house) and will get her off next.
• Oh, I did mention I still had my PJ's on, right? So you know what's coming...

What they say may happen (and why you should never go out in your jammies in public) did happen. I was involved in a fender bender. Let me add hastily that it wasn't my fault, but I still had to get out of my car. Coming up the last little home stretch of hill, the gentleman in front of me puts his signal on exactly two seconds prior to making a left hand turn and then promptly stops short, as a car is coming down the hill.

I successfully slammed on my brakes to avoid rear ending him. I was fine, my coffee was not.

The person driving behind me was not so successful and boom, rammed right into me. Darn it all, now Nicole was going to end up being late to school.

I felt really bad for the girl who hit me. It ended up being someone I knew, driving her first grade sister to school. No one was hurt, just shaken up. But the bad news for her was it was her fault because it is always the person's fault who is hitting someone from behind.

What about the guy in front of me who didn't provide me with a whole lot of notice? He sauntered across the street, looked at us, kind of smirked and made a comment about us following too closely. I will say that we were both travelling with as much space anyone does on that road, and kindly reminded him that he didn't give me much notice for his own driving choices of turning or stopping short. He was unimpressed and left, after reprimanding the girl behind me for not having control of her vehicle, shrugged and walked away. Nice, huh?

The policeman came and asked if I had my license. Uh, no, it is in my purse in my kitchen, where it did me a whole lot of good. But one of the benefits of living in a small town is everyone knows everyone, and even though we know each other socially, he was completely and totally professional.

So, her car couldn't be moved (cracked radiator), her air bag deployed and the whole front end was mushed. I only have a dent in my rear fender. Her parents came and I have to say I was really impressed. No yelling, no shame, no blame, the honest response that accidents happen and no one was hurt.

So lots of learning opportunities in this this morning, not the least of which is I will try to remember to set my alarm and not go out in my jammies, but don't hold your breath.