Yesterday, a dog threw up on the bed and I didn’t notice until after I sat in the vomit. (I say “a dog” because I have no idea which dog, but I suspect Zelda, because Bartleby tends to try again when he throws up. He doesn’t care if it’s partially digested and didn’t agree with him the first time around, food is food to B.)

Anyway, as I wrote to a friend, sat-upon dog vomit is the kind of event that is capable of shaping a day if I let it. As is happens, I had recently spilled coffee all over my other sheets, so that was the end of my usable sheets. It meant that I had to do laundry, on a Sunday, at a campground laundry, with coin-operated machines, all of which adds up to another event that can shape a day.

It made me think about the shapes of days. Some are flat, of course. That’s a definite day shape, for the ones where you reach the end of the day and wonder why you even bother to get out of bed. Of course, the days where you don’t bother to get out of bed can be pretty flat, too.

There are also curvy days. I think those happen when something unexpected but not bad unexpected takes place. Truly bad unexpected days are pointy, that’s their shape — like stakes through the heart. Maybe curvy days are also the days with lots of ups and downs? When the day starts out bad but recovers nicely? Those could be curvy days.

I don’t know what a triangle day would look like. Or a square day. But angular days definitely exist. Those are the ones that include trips to the DMV or the dentist’s office, without compensating chocolate or flowers to make them curvy. I like the thought of fractal days, but I have no idea what they’d actually contain. Maybe hallucinogens or high fevers?

And when it comes right down to it, I’m not sure what shape yesterday wound up being. The laundry was exactly as crowded as I expected it to be, but people were friendly and sociable. I felt productive when I had clean sheets on the bed, satisfied with my efforts. I’m using this software called Streaks, to track my efforts in exercise, meditation, and writing, and managed not to break any of my streaks yesterday, and that was satisfying, too. If it was a shape… well, I think it would be a complicated shape. Maybe a spiral?

I’m not sure what shape today’s going to be: I’m packing up Serenity so that I can take Zelda to the vet for her re-check of her ear infection. I’m at about 75% certainty that she still has an ear infection, which is not going to be fun, of course. And the vet is an hour away, via major highways, so I’m not charmed by the thought of driving and dealing with traffic. I’m also a little worried about this vet’s parking lot. I was there once before, in a regular car, and I was grateful that I didn’t have to try to park the van in the close quarters of the crowded lot, so today’s parking might not be much fun. On the other hand, on the road always has potential for adventure. And an hour or two with nothing to do but drive safely and think about Max’s motivation might actually result in some forward movement in Grace. 

What shape is your day going to be?