It’s my birthday. And the universe has supplied my birthday bumps without a flaw.

The day started with my husband saying he won’t be home for my birthday dinner.

Then, while I was getting ready for work, my coworker called to tell me the food bank fridges were down. I said, “be there in 5,” but then my children surprised me with my birthday gifts, and they were all cute and smiley in the morning, so I couldn’t tell them to wait until later. So I guiltily opened them too fast, hugged my children, said, “thank you, love you,” and raced out the door.

At work, I found not only were the fridges down but so were the freezers and half the building had no electricity at all! I then searched the breaker panels with a near-ticketed electrician, but it’s a 100-year-old building, so there are a lot of breaker panels. We found no problems, so we had to call in an electrician.

Then I left in the work vehicle and almost hit a pedestrian.

Then I sprained my middle finger lifting a heavy bag.

And then I broke a door push bar.

Needless to say, I was about to quit at that point.

But then I got back to work, and one of my coworkers made me this (picture below.) It reset my day, and everything after that included phone calls from loved ones, gifts, good food and lots of cake.

So hang in there cause even the worst days can get better.

Even if it’s your birthday and everything seems against you, hang in there, tater chip.

Signed, one year older,

Norma Rrae