It Was Just That Kind of Day

This afternoon I was getting ready to leave for the day. I tidied my desk, logged off the computer, and generally straightened up a bit. I had a few papers that needed to be shredded, so I headed off to the back room. I shredded about half the papers when the machine decided to stop. I turned it off and then turned it back on, hoping that this would fix the minor glitch. Unfortunately, it did not, so I decided that perhaps the basket was full, which would explain the problem.

A word of advice: if the compartment which holds the shredded bits of paper does not come out easily, it is not wise to attempt pulling harder to get the compartment out. When the compartment gets stuck, perhaps try partially emptying the container first.

It may surprise you to hear that instead of following this excellent piece of advice, I pulled hard on the container, resulting in a minor explosion of shredded paper bits which fluttered to the floor. The compartment came out after this though [with a little more tugging], and I was able to empty the rest of the contents into a trashcan instead of the floor. I had no idea that such a small compartment could contain so many bits of paper. No wonder I'd had trouble.

As I swept up the floor, I thought about how accurate a representation of my day the incident was, but decided that laughter was the best response. I am convinced that some days happen as a test to see how good your sense of humor truly is.