Today was an overall crappy day. I’m usually quite flexible and can go with the flow. In my job, I’ve come to expect change and have learned to respond to them. I know that I can only plan so much, and that I should be ready to immediately react to new realities as they present themselves. Ordinarily, I’m quite good at that. In fact, many of my clients have given me accolades for that skill, for being able to respond to crises situations well.

But today, one particular change led to a number of nuisances that I was neither counting on nor mentally prepared to deal with. It was as if that one little change was the piece of the Jenga tower that, when removed, toppled all other pieces. I’m exaggerating, of course. My Jenga tower did not fall apart. I managed to get everything done, done right, and done on time. Although, my tower swayed quite a bit and, in the end– because of all the mental, physical, and emotional reserves that I tapped into in order to get things done– I went home with a huge headache and an overwhelming desire for vodka.

I will not bore you with the details, and will simply have to rely on this wooden toy analogy to get my point across. After all, I’m certain you’ve all had your Jenga Days.