Dangit! It's all relative

The other day after taking a shower, it occurred to me that I had been so busy with my head in the clouds that I forgot to shave my legs. It was the third day in a row that I’d done this, but I shrugged it off. After all, it’s summer vacation. Now, while I’m way past letting something like that ruin my day, I did feel somewhat self-conscious later when I was out shopping at the grocery store and realizing that I did not quite fit in with the well-groomed upper-middle-class suburban women rummaging the produce along side of me. This got me thinking about the varying degrees of problems we encounter. Forgetting to shave my legs again qualified as a “dangit,” and was something I’d managed to do many times. A more annoying “dangit” would have been to shave one leg, but forget to do the other (yep -- done that on a few occasions).

Here are some other “dangits” that have foreshadowed a less-than-perfect day.

•While dinking with the program, I lose the toolbar and spend twenty minutes trying to figure out how the heck to set it up the way it looked before.

•I remember my son’s orthodontist appointment (the one that will take an hour and can only be scheduled well in advance, in the morning, on odd days, during the waxing full moon) -- an hour too late.

•The scar across my forehead, the one that spells “sucker,” is glowing neon green when I’m at the hairdresser. Desperately wishing I could turn back the clock, I say yes to the highlighting sales pitch without asking, “How much will it cost?”

•Failing to intercept the credit card bill for the new and improved look.

•Driving down the highway, hearing a thud, and watching a tuft of feathers hurl over my car and land on the road behind.

•Leaving the dishwasher door open only to smack my shin against it.

•Really wanting to let into someone about a mess and realizing that it is my own.

Now, a “dangit” should never be confused with an “Oh, fuck!” The fundamental difference between the two is permanence. A “dangit” can be fixed or its impact will eventually subside. An “Oh, fuck!” means real despair and permanent change. For example, 9/11 was a pretty big “Oh, fuck!” Losing a job would fall into that category as well. Another big "Oh, fuck!" is what's probably going on with a young woman named Angi who has me worried. Our problems are all relative, aren't they?