O.K. if you have been reading my blog for a while, then you know how much I love to mix the serious with the hilarious.  This is one of those times.

A story came my way that needs sharing.  It’s about stress, being human, doing the right thing….. and……poop.

One morning, a harried young woman named Carol, was out  in the dew-laden hours before dawn, walking Bruce, the family lab.  This particular day, she also had a library book in her hand to return to the local branch a few blocks from her house.  As so many of us do, she was multi-tasking, well before the sun came up.  She had all ready made school lunches complete with “love” notes tucked in the sandwich wrappers and had set the cereal and fruit out for the family breakfast.

This particular morning she was more exhausted than usual because she had spent most of the night consoling her 8 year old who had been having nightmares. Bruce was definitely the only one wiggling with enthusiasm as the light of day began to peak through the trees lining her street.

A block or so, before arrving at the library parking lot, Bruce smelled just the right tree and did his thing.  After bagging the steaming pile, Carol went on to the library—opened the drive-through return slot and threw in the book. This detour had taken more time in her usual walk with Bruce, so she jogged back.  

 Once home in back yard, as she took Bruce off his leash, she suddenly realized the library book was still clenched in her other hand.  What had she tossed into the slot at the library?  Uh Oh.

Yep.  The ugly, stinky truth.  Bleary-eyed, distracted with thoughts of the coming day’s trial she was litigating, Carol realized what she had done.  The library was three hours away from being open.  No time to run back now to see if her arm was long enough to make the switch.

Through clenched teeth and a knot in her gut the size of Cincinnati, Carol, exhausted and stressed before the first “hello” of the day, alternated between hysteria—the bad, hyper-ventillating kind and hysteria–the laugh-your-ass-off  kind.  As she dressed,  and woke the family, she felt tears of idiocy streaming down her cheeks.  Facing herself in the mirror Carol looked at a very tired person having a thought walk about all the other times in her life when she was ” too pooped to pop”.  This, of course, took on new meaning, as she realized the potential mess that pounds of returned books could cause…..as each one experienced a soft landing on top of a warm pile of Bruce-ness.

So, here’s the kicker.  Carol asked herself the $64 questions…..the ones of situational ethics we so often find ourselves asking.    “Who would ever know?”  “Why should I care?”  ”How can I take care of this when I am all ready taking care of more than I bargained for?” ”Why don’t I just forget it and let them handle it?”

She began to imagine the librarians arriving to start their day—whoever gathered the books from the return slot would be in for quite a surprise.  Would they take this as some hideously incorrect political statement?  What sentiment would be shared throughout the library that day and in the days to come as  result of this gross discovery? 

Something told Carol that even if the baggie held together after the pounding it was sure to get—-that no one would find this funny, in the least. What are the chances, that anyone would imagine this morning’s scenario?

Would you agree its safe to say, that as a culture, we don’t automatically jump to the most postive interpretation of circumstances we don’t understand?

But, after considering all the ways she could just dismiss this and carry on with her day, Carol determined that her own self-esteem would suffer if she did not clean this mess up…….in several ways. Besides, taking responsibiity was simply….the right thing to do.

The right thing to do.

The first place to start was by reframing her Drano-laden self talk into humor and compassion for herself.  She also decided to turn it into a lesson in forgiveness and compassion for her kids by sharing what she had done with them, as they ate breakfast.  The message was loud and clear.  Everyone makes mistakes. Own yours.  Never let others suffer when you can do something to make things right. Clean up whatever mess you have made.  Say you are sorry.  Then, move on.  Being human is just downright knee-slappingly funny sometimes. Shit happens.  Even Bruce howled…..with laughter.

You know it’s true.  Moments like these top the marquee at family reunions for years to come.

Even though she had a jam packed day in the courtroom, Carol, then set her Blackberry for the time the libary would open.  She wanted to call as a pre-emptive strike, alerting the staff about the gooshy pile within the pile.   

As she explained what had happened to  the real live person who answered the phone………there was nothing but silence. After nearly a full minute of non-response to her “hello, is anybody there?”….gales of laughter.  The person on the other end, turned away to share the morning’s “gift” with her co-workers—-more gales of laughter.  Carol was even thanked for “making our day!”   It could so easily have gone the other way. 

The poopie pile was retrieved, smushed but not leaking.  The day was saved, the book slot unblemished……ready to receive, once more.  

Here’s what I know for sure to be true for me.

Every experience, no matter how ridiculous it seems at the time is a renewed chance for choices.   I can choose to generate love, compassion and understanding.  I can commit to finding the opportunity for the blessing in everything that comes my way.  I can do the right thing……or not.