My morning started out similar to the lyrics from “A Day in the Life” by The Beatles:

“Woke up, fell out of bed,
Dragged a comb across my head
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup,
And looking up I noticed I was late.”

I scrambled out of the house and drove to work.

The cars ahead of me slowed down as I reached the final part of my commute.  I slowed down hoping the car behind me wouldn’t rear end my car. We all came to an easy and safe stop. But then the cars ahead of me parked and the drivers got out of their cars.

There was an accident.  I could see a frantic and shaken driver walking and looking at the scene. It was a single car accident. There was a lot of water along the curved exit where the accident happened. I think he lost control of the car. He didn’t look hurt.

Cars squeezed out of the path of the accident but I saw the fire truck approach and I had nowhere to go very easily.  I decided to stay put.

The fire truck parked in front of me.

Then an ambulance came.  The fire trucked backed up to open up a path.  Then I was directed to drive on the curb while avoiding the concrete barrier and the car involved in the accident.

I ran over a few pieces of car debris.  I was terrified of scraping the barrier to the left and the wrecked car on the right. It was a tight squeeze.

I breathed a sigh of relief once I made it out.  What an exhausting morning!  The experience reminded me of an all too recent bad memory.

A few minutes later, I arrived at work, emotionally drained.

When I walked inside the office, I saw my new four-legged coworker at the other end of the hall.  He’s 7 weeks old and this is his second day at work.  Excitedly, I grabbed the new toy I bought him and presented it to him.

Rusty loved it. We ran down the hallway chasing the new toy.  The little puppy ran back to the other end of the hallway.  Then we sat together on the concrete floor.  Rusty climbed in my lap and tried to lick my face.

The stress of the morning evaporated.

Notes:
Camera:  Big Bertha (Canon EOS 5D Mark II)
Lens: My beloved 100 mm macro lens (Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 L macro IS)
This dog is extraordinarily difficult to photograph with the chocolate brown fur.  But I’m up to the challenge to improve over time (while tracking the growth of the dog.)
Comments:  I am fortunate to have a job that doesn’t sweat the exact moment I “clock in” and even more fortunate the workplace is pro-dog.