Today started out stressful but ended up stress-free even though it cost me two skinned knees and a torn off fingernail.

I've had a killer headache for the past 3 days, guess its allergies, but I haven't been able to sleep worth a damn lately. As a result I woke up this morning in a foul mood to say the least. Got up late, couldn't find anything to wear and I knew everything on my desk at work was "problem shit" that needed to be taken care. Yep, one of those days and it's only Tuesday.

Headed off for work, rushed down the stairs of my apartment and as I stepped off the bottom step I looked down and realized I had on two different shoes. One brown oxford and one black pump. Nice. Had to go all the way back up two flights of stairs and change one of the shoes. (Stress levels up already).

Long story short, the day was crappy, everybody was a jerk (couldn't possibly be me) everyone had to have everything yesterday, etc, etc. By 5 o'clock I was a raw nerve. If I was a drinking person today I would have been a drinkin'. Heavily.

Got home and at least my little dog Benji was happy to see me. I take him for a walk everyday so today I thought I'd walk farther and longer, maybe work off some of this tension. We went outside the apt complex this time and down by the bayou. I couldn't believe all the bluebonnets and buttercups! How beautiful! I'd never noticed them before but the entire side of the bayou is covered in them! Benji's never seen a buttercup before so he stuck his nose in a few of them and sniffed, he turned around and grinned at me with a yellow nose. He looked so cute I couldn't help but laugh (stress level going down a notch). We kept walking along and I decided I'd go down the concrete incline of the bayou down near the water, maybe see some fish or a frog or something.

We were walking on the cement along beside the water and as we got near the bridge of the overpass I saw some blackberry vines covered in big juicy blackberries! I love blackberries, I didn't even know it was blackberry season. I started picking and eating berries right off the vine. I haven't done that since I was a kid, this is great! (stress level way down). I didn't have anything to put the berries in so I just put them in my mouth, I'm sure I looked like a little chipmunk with my cheeks full of berries, they were so good! Benji didn't care for them though. I suddenly realized I was under the bridge alone. Totally out of eyesight and earshot of anyone. It was creepy. I looked up in the eaves of the bridge where homeless people sometimes sleep but I couldn't see anything but shadows. What if some crazy homeless person was up there watching me? I just got really creeped out. Time to go home Benji, right now.

I was at the bottom of a sloped incline of concrete. I could hear the cars going by above, but I couldn't see them and they couldn't see me. I started running up the incline towards to top of the bayou to get back into public view again, but when your 45 years old it's not easy running uphill. I started hearing footsteps running behind me. So I ran faster and the footsteps sped up too. Shit, I knew it. Some crazy drunk bum is after me. I was eating his berries and now I'm gonna die for it. Just before I got to the top where someone could see me I tripped, landing hard on my hands and knees. I still had a hold of Benji's leash so when I fell my pinky finger was crushed under my weight and most of my nail got torn off. I just sit there for a minute waiting for the jolt of pain to wear off. I slowly looked behind me and nothing. No bum, nobody was chasing me. Just quiet. I sat up and both my knees were skinned and bleeding but nothing serious. My pinky nail was ripped and bleeding a little. I slapped the cement with the end of Benji's leash. Damn it that hurts. I heard an echo. When I realized the footsteps I heard were my own I started laughing. I guess the echo of my footsteps were bouncing off the steal beams and concrete underneath the road above.

I still had a mouth full of berries and I was laughing so hard berry juice was running down my chin. If anyone, bum or otherwise saw me they would have ran like hell, I looked like the deranged crazy person. Benji was sprawled out in the grass in the sun a few feet away on his back just looking at me. I'm glad I was completely shaded under the bridge so my neighbors couldn't see me, though they would have gotten a good laugh. I swallowed my berries, got up and dusted off my knees best I could, wiped the berry juice off my chin and headed home with my blue stained teeth.

The day started stressful and ended painful but it took my mind off the tension I was feeling, physical pain has a way of doing that. Sort of puts things in perspective. At least I can laugh about it now. I think sometimes God gives us a friendly reminder saying "hey, it's not that bad, get over it!"

Alice Conwell, owns and writes for http://resource99.com