I was not quite sure what blog topic to write on today. And then as i got thinking, it occurred to me that ‘Murphy’s Law’ and how it operates in day-to-day life, sometimes without us even realising it, might be a good place to start.
Let me begin with the most common (and may i add, most infuriating) manifestation of this law, which is when one is driving. Not just any kind of driving….i am talking about driving at pell-mell speed (one eye always on the speedometer, to ensure the limit is not crossed- after all, who wants to challenge Sydney driving laws). Of course i would be driving to something terrifically important..like my hairdresser’s appointment, or coffee with a friend, or to the local library hoping to squeeze in some delicious minutes browsing the shelves before i have to pick up the kids from school. And it is, you will agree (I hope) vitally essential that i reach any or all of these ABSOLUTELY on time.
So what happens, as i drive pell-mell? There is a LEARNER (with the ‘L’ sticker pasted on every visible transparent surface of the car) driving (i think) in… guess who’s lane?? In the lane, of course, where Yours Truly is trying vainly to defeat Father Time. There is a wide choice of lanes (well, at least one other), but no!, the earnest Learner will have chosen to tread (the accelerator) on the very lane on which i am (un)fortunate enough to be travelling. Now, a very natural feeling of annoyance begins to well up in my chest, but then what happens next ??? Instead of gritting my teeth, and throwing up my hands in the air theatrically, hoping the poor Learner catches sight of me in the rear view mirror, what do i do? I slow down because of……none other than MATERNAL feelings. I cannot help thinking (amazing how driving at the speed of 10 in a 50 zone frees up space for lucid thought) that some day my children will be THE LEARNER, and i can only hope and pray that those driving behind them in peak-hour traffic will find it within their fuming hearts to forgive the erratic attempts and to remember what it felt like to be a novice. Suffice to say that my hairdresser is waiting for me, in a classic foot-tapping pose, looking at her watch pointedly as i fly in , breathless and apologetic.
Mr Murphy (of the Law fame) had also perhaps pondered on the Telephone dilemma when he first charted out the Law and it’s Boundaries. Ever noticed, that all you have to do is simply walk into the bathroom, lock it (the law won’t operate otherwise, since it seems to work on the principle of maximum disruption and discomfort), change the empty loo roll and load a fresh one, and get any other preparations you could possibly think of under way for…..the phone to start ringing!!!!! Now, to be strictly fair, i do not have anything per se against this happening. What confounds me is that i had been sitting right next to the phone for the past HOUR, leafing through a magazine, sipping coffee, pondering Life etc etc….and it never ONCE rang….So, isn’t it within the realm of fairness for me to wonder why it should do so as soon as i had moved as far away from it as it was humanly possible to move? (Please stop chuckling, Mr Murphy. It ain’t funny, you know).
What about the Bottom Of The Pile phenomenon? Please do not say you have never experienced it, because i will positively weep. I could be searching for anything in the world…the red and black checked top, or the library book about recipes, or the invoice that simply HAS to be paid in the next 30 seconds otherwise a late fee of undefined proportions will be incurred….anything at all….and you can bet your last dollar that it will be at THE BOTTOM OF THE PILE. How often has the thing you are looking for been sitting at THE TOP of the pile, staring at you in delight? NEVER. I have sometimes, attempting to be…well…clever…., tried ‘reverse psychology’ by beginning to look from the bottom of the pile itself. Aha, i was going to get the better of this….but….not only is the book/outfit/invoice not at the bottom of the pile, it is not at the centre or top either…it has simply vanished….and a whole new search begins….but that’s a topic that will generate a whole new blog in itself, so let’s not go there.
So, if you have been in similar predicaments , let me know where else this law can be seen working its tentacles….I would so love to hear that i am not alone 😉