Polka dots

I knew it was going to be a really rough day at work. It was going to be busy with busy-ness heaped on top and maybe a little grumpy-ness and upset-patients sprinkled in for good measure. I was not looking forward to it.

I usually wear stripes. I likes solids. I tend to stick to fairly quiet patterns and softer colors.

But there’s a section in my closet that is slowly growing. It has brighter colors, reds and pinks and corals. Teals and turquoise and blues. There are some different patterns, flowers and bold geometrics. And polka dots. Big white polka dots on a bright red background. I don’t wear polka dots.

I reached for the black dress and then paused. Instead I grabbed the red dress with white polka dots. My son said I looked like Minnie mouse. My husband said I looked like a ladybug.

I smiled.

Can a day be that bad when you look down and think about being a Disney character or a happy little bug? Unfortunately yes, but at least I smiled to myself every time I looked at my lap. And at least for that day it made it a bit more bearable.

So while polka dots might not change the world, cure cancer, or decrease busy days, they do make me smile. And sometimes that is the best you can hope for. So if I were my own best friend I would tell myself (and you) to wear fun clothes every once in a while and see if it makes that day you were dreading a little bit better.