I was in a restaurant (which shall remain nameless) and I was munching away on my lunch. My thoughts were interrupted by a faint squeaking noise. I assumed it was someone’s shoe. It was persistent and as it continued, it got a little louder. Looking around I found no source for the sound until my eyes gazed downward. It was then I noticed a sticky trap; the kind you use to catch mice. I was drawn to the drama that was displayed before me. Hind quarters stuck to the pad, a mother mouse with two baby mice stuck completely to the pad was making all the noise she could muster. It was borderline fascinating and pathetic. The mouse with all the strength she had, was jumping and the pad was following her front feet wherever she went. Apparently the pad had had been below my chair. Now in the open, she was vainly hopscotching across the floor.

I summoned the waiter and he quickly disposed of the little rodent family quickly but not before it did two things to me. First, it took away my appetite, but secondly, it made me feel extremely sorry for the poor little mother. This scene made me think differently about my day. Though I felt mired in work, at least my hindquarters and family weren’t stuck to a pad of death.

This past week I have felt as if I was trying to outrun a steamroller as I ran on ice. But I was greeted with two minor miracles that prompted me to realize that someone still watches out for me.

Our garbage disposal has been broken for three months rendering our dishwasher useless. The reason is, is that when the dishwasher drains, it drains into the sink and the sink can’t drain. Yesterday as I was hand washing the dishes for the umpteenth time since Thanksgiving, I flipped the switch and miraculously the disposal kicked on. It has been working ever since.

In like fashion, a minor plumbing problem that has caused me grief for weeks likewise, stopped it’s harassment of me and has been working properly ever since.

I now am in what they call a quandary, with such good fortune in such a short time, should I purchase a lottery ticket? Because right now the only gambling I do is when I eat at cheap Chinese restaurants.

No, I think I’ll stand pat. I just got my Publisher’s Clearing House letter and it says someone in my neighborhood with my initials is going to win. And just to think lately, I thought the light at the end of my tunnel was an oncoming train.