Portugal the remeder 5

5. Day 4: Everyone has a bad day

The phrase is well-known. We use it, or it's applied to us, as a form of comfort. But occasionally, it's our actions and thoughts that create that bad day.

Today seemed like a “normal” day. The night before, I'd gotten a plastic bottle and challenged myself again with the churros. Success doesn't always fall from the sky like a blessing; sometimes it's associated with mistakes and perseverance.

The previous bottle was unusable, and a new, disposable method was needed. The best way to do this was not to squeeze the plastic but to push it through and force the dough out through the hole. As in life, and throughout human history, the answer isn't to give up, but to find another way. Life doesn't always, or only rarely, provide us with supermarket churros or the specialized equipment for such an endeavor; the path may be narrower, but the goal is to arrive. Then comes the dirty work: cleaning everything up for a new adventure. It's not directly related to success or failure, pleasure or disappointment, but to the consequences that stem from “I want to eat churros.”

The weather is still cold here, but the fireplace is a lot of work and also creates an environmental and health problem; my eyes are full of smoke and demand a break to allow my tear ducts to repair themselves and my eyeballs to properly lubricate. It's a tug-of-war between not feeling the cold and accepting these inconveniences. The fireplace enjoys the prestige of its well-known qualities, but stoking the fire is an exercise in dependency that I'm not willing to pay for.

I also took the opportunity to wash the few clothes I had dared to bring and get rid of that characteristic Boy Scout smell.

After lunch, I went up to the village to buy a few things. The supermarket had a sign that said :closed from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. I thought, if it was already closed from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., how could they extend those hours claiming “cleaning,” and on a Monday no less? I turned the handle, and the door opened. The employee rushed out and, without explanation, slammed the door in my face. This confirmed her unhelpful and rude behavior from the previous day. I thought about going back home and seeing what other options I had so I wouldn't have to shop there again. I went to a hardware store and asked if there was another supermarket nearby. Luck was on my side, and I headed there. I tried to explain what had happened. What would this world be like if everyone were like that employee! (Unfortunately, more and more people are slamming doors in your face these days.)

I spent the rest of the afternoon doing nothing, ruminating on what had happened.

In the evening, it was time for a movie. But some days are just unfavorable even without conscious effort. The other videos presented some problems: they didn't interest me, they had subtitles, or they were in poor condition. This concludes the “Movie Nights” series, leaving me to reflect on how long the shadow of “empty” time can be.

That night was also punctuated by small, inexplicable sleep disruptions.