Save Me

You hear that gurgling sound? No, it's not a retch although I can understand why you might have confused it as such. It is me, just below the surface, DROWNING.

In work.

Issues? Of course because if I were to actually get several days strung together, IN A ROW, where everything ran smoothly and according to plan, the world might tip off its axis and twirl away into another galaxy.

What is worse than building a chair, shipping it to the Middle East to a new, high profile restaurant and having it break when your buyer sat in it for the first time? Tough one right? Wracking your brain for an answer? Well, how about building lots of chairs, shipping them to the Middle East to that new, high profile restaurant and having GOBS of them breaking right out from underneath their occupants? Yes, it's true. And the restaurant grand opening is set for tomorrow. And replacement chairs will take 90 days to deliver. Welcome to my life.

Oh yes, there is that meeting I had last week. Remember? I fretted about that baby for a week and a half. For nothing. The buyer was charming, respectful and completely reasonable. But like most in his position, he is faced with crazy deadlines, enormous responsibilities and limited help. To be considered for his new modular plan that rolls out next spring, I have exactly 6 days to get him pricing, samples and concept packaging on no less than eight items. For those that don't know, that's a bit like asking Britney Spears to chew gum and think at the same time: CHALLENGING.

Dallas and I are scheduled to fly home to Canada on Friday. It is not a pleasure trip. Over the weekend, one of my clients is scheduled to be on television with his products and between props, customs, couriered samples and on air protocol, I'm buried alive in the details. To top everything off, my daughter is sick with a cold. It's not horrible and yesterday, after a hasty nasal swab at the doctor's office, we learned that she isn't suffering from the flu, which is great. The trouble is, she goes to her father's house on Thursday night and conditions over there are less than ideal. Under normal circumstances, I can live with the thought of her foraging in the trash for scraps of foods and going unwashed for days but now that her little immune system is compromised with a cold, I'm concerned. So, I'm home with her, forcing heaps of vitamin C and cleansing her sinus cavities with saline and running to the school to pick up her schoolwork... DURING ONE OF THE BUSIEST WORKWEEKS OF MY LIFE.

I've been pretty good at treading water but lately, I can't feel my fingers and toes. I understand why some people give up and allow themselves to sink. I'm not there yet but I could sure use a mouthful of air.