Isn’t it funny how little things can make a person’s mood? It doesn’t have to be any grand gesture or proclamation of endless love and adoration—it can be something so simple as seeing a new puppy trying to navigate on a sidewalk curb or having some dashing, handsome specimen of a man allow you to grab the cab he’s been waiting for in the hopes of capturing some fleeting morsel of chivalry.

This morning, I pondered how yesterday, at this same time, I was wretchedly annoyed beyond belief on what—for all intents and purposes—appeared to be a glorious Monday. Who was I kidding? It was Monday, after all. I woke up too late. I belabored my evil fate of having to drag myself out of bed and into work. I bemoaned the ugly state of affairs of my hair and face. I hated every wrinkle and crinkle of my thighs, every unnatural curve of my body and every reminder that I would never be like that model on the Vogue cover—who, this very morning—was taunting me as I slathered on gallons of sunscreen to protect my face and neck. For the greater part of my entire life on this planet, I’ve searched for the elusive fountain of youth that would bring me closer to the magazine ideal. What a fruitless venture this has been.

At any rate, I somehow managed to pour myself into something that might resemble a mix between a kimono and a muumuu and off I went to work—big, over-sized sunglasses covering my face and preserving my dignity. My first main goal was to get caffeinated—or else.

As my Facebook friends are well aware, my first objective of yesterday failed. My morning post summarized the entire experience: “Stupid lady at the coffee shop. Stupid. Make up your mind already and move on. I literally waited 10 min for this prima donna toothpick witch to make up her mind she wanted scrambled egg whites. I had to leave with no coffee because I would have been late. Thanks a lot. I hope those egg whites make you fat--you heffer.”

You get the picture. The rest of the day went averagely – if that is even a word—until the late afternoon when, much like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, my hairdresser brought me into the twenty first century. The cut and color made me feel like a million bucks. From that point on, my mood changed. Maybe it was seeing myself in a different light in the mirror of the salon or the exceptionally well-manicured and perfectly fashioned gay couple actually stopping me on the street to tell me that I had great shoes and great hair. That, to be sure, summarily made my day. Heck, it made my week!

This morning, I was facing the same fate as yesterday. I was already late in getting up because the other side of my bed wanted to sleep in a bit. The rain was pouring and the city was shrouded in heavy, ominous clouds. Oh no—I thought to myself. Today will be different. And that’s all it took—my resolve.

On my way to work, I made it into that coffee shop and was determined not to have that same “heffer” deny me my caffeine. The coffee gods smiled on me as she was nowhere to be seen. Happily sipping the liquid goodness, I passed by Intermix and Barneys and pondered the beauty of the display windows. Those made me exceptionally happy. Crossing the street, I passed by the new Hermes and was simply hypnotized into a state of happiness by the delicious bag beckoning me in the window. As I crossed into Dantes’ eighth circle—I mean, into the office,  I resolved that today would be, simply, fantastic.

And despite the rain, it has been!