Some days do not go how you expect them to. Some surprises are good, others, well more trying.
Flexibility is key in this business. So is ice cream.
I guess I should have known it was going to be like this when the doorbell rang at 8:30 AM, and I was not yet dressed. I figured that it might have been the painter who had told me he wasn't coming today. Well I guess his plans changed, so still in my bathrobe, I let him in. (There's something about taking a shower when the tradespeople are in the house that's a bit odd. But he's a nice guy. It was OK.)
As I am heading out the door to see a client, the phone rings. It's another client whose house is being built by some Russian guys. They NEED the stone for the back splash tile in the kitchen. They also NEEDED the lighting and the attic carpet YESTERDAY which meant I nearly killed myself this week to get this all done for my client, and in the end, none of it was needed YESTERDAY. (By the way, I knew this would be the case.) Today they totally stress out my client over something that was already decided and scheduled, but because the two partners didn't communicate with each other, one of Russian guys has his knickers all in a twist, and has my client worried when THERE IS NO ISSUE. My client is the nicest lady. She really is a good person and the contractor really made her worried… for no reason. I felt bad.
I told her that I could take care of the back splash Monday morning, but about 15 minutes after I got off the phone, I decided that IF rearranged my schedule, I could take care of it this afternoon for her. I was planning on a full day at the design center, starting with a client meeting, but I could do an about face after the client meeting and return to the burbs to the Russian guy's stone place. The plan before I woke up was for a sane and organized day at the Design Center… but what I got was a running around day instead.
The upshot? I could take some stress away for my client. That's an important part of what I do. The other upshot? The tile place is near a great ice cream shop, so I ended the day with a mocha milkshake. Mmmm. That made everything good in the world.
Like my friend Ellen used to say, "It's just carpet."
I don't pretend that what I do is brain surgery. No one is going to die because the lights are delayed. But it can be stressful (and sometimes annoying in the short term) so it helps to keep things in perspective.
So that was my day. Which got me thinking: What kind of decorating drama have you experienced lately? What was your antidote?