Day 214: What Did I Even Do Yesterday?

My short term memory has been fuzzy for some time. At some point, I got so lost in the malaise of adulthood and modern living that I started forgetting moments. Moments that I’m not used to forgetting. Once upon a time, I would lock up everything. Try to cling on to every feeling and event no matter the significance. Now I fail to remember what even happened last week. Or yesterday. What did I even do yesterday? And what effect did it have?

I drank some Mountain Dew for breakfast. As innocuous as it seems, this tends to only happen to me in Spring. I start doing it without even thinking. I haven’t touched coffee in a week. But this is the first time I’ve acknowledged it out loud. What effect did it have on the world at large? None. So let’s move on.

I got my ass kicked on The Show. Pretty normal occurrence for sure. But maybe it meant something to the person that demolished me. Maybe he won a bet. Or the affection of the girl of his dreams. Maybe it was what he needed to complete a program. My horrid video game skills meant nothing to my day at large, but it could’ve meant the world to someone else.

I wrote the Beer League Roundup. Nobody reading this even cares. It had no effect on you. But maybe my dismissiveness of Dave’s team lit a fire under his ass. Maybe now he’s determined to flip the script and prove all of us wrong. Maybe that Roundup will change the trajectory of the entire league for years to come.

I rode the train. This literally meant nothing. But maybe some dude noticed my beard and got inspired. Maybe yesterday was the day he gained the confidence to stop shaving. The train ride was just like any other, but maybe, just maybe, it changed someone’s life. Maybe now they’ll be That Beard Guy. They’ll be famous for it. They’ll owe it all to me. And I’ll never even know it.

I upsold a guy on a warm baguette, as opposed to a cold one. On one end, I was just doing my job, trying to promote our new freshly-baked baguettes. But maybe it changed his whole perspective on bread. Maybe from now on, he’ll only eat fresh baked bread. It’ll make life much more I convenient and someday, he’ll curse me for turning him on to it. But I’ll be long gone by then, laughing all the way to the bank.

I had my daily Yankee talk with an elderly regular. I started paying more attention to them, just so I had things to say to him. His wife talks too much and hates baseball, so his 15 minute runs to the store are a great reprieve. I know what it feels like to not have anyone to talk to about a hobby, so I always try my best to oblige. It’s nothing life-changing, but goddamnit, it’s nice. I look forward to my daily 45 second chats with him.

I ran three registers at the same time. It wasn’t a fun situation, but it was necessary to keep the line down. While it was a stressful time for me, maybe it helped someone. Maybe they were dreading a big decision. Maybe they thought to themselves, “Damn, if that fat guy can run 3 registers at the same time, I can probably tell Babs how I really feel”. It was business as usual for me. For Babs, it’s going to change her life somehow, for better or worse. Probably worse. That theoretical guy is a scumbag.

I fucked up dinner. Or maybe I didn’t fuck it up, but it just wasn’t that great. It was a really forgettable dinner. I barely remember it now. I think there was apples in it for some reason? But maybe it’ll teach me a lesson in the long run. Maybe I’ll be more attentive to the sauce. Maybe I’ll fuck around with not trying to burn the chicken. Maybe I’ll buy a goddamn meat thermometer. Wow, I really need a meat thermometer. That would’ve made last nights dinner slightly better. See? I’m already learning from my mistakes. As forgettable as last nights dinner was, maybe it’ll start a streak of good dinners. Maybe I’ll never cook a bad dinner again. Not likely, but a dude can dream.

So what did I do yesterday? I’m still not sure. It may have been a life-changing day for me and others or it could just be erased like all the rest. But it’s still good to know that it could swing both ways.

What did you do yesterday?

– TeeCoZee