I had an appointment at the cancer centre today. I’ve been seeing my oncologist for six years and it hasn’t gotten easier. I’m a mess of nerves, I don’t sleep much the night before my appointment, I’m snappy and weepy, and I eat a lot of carbs.

I say that the cancer centre has the worst parking lot I’ve ever encountered, but I’m not sure if that’s because it’s a truly crappy parking lot or if it’s so terrible because it’s the parking lot of a cancer centre. I’m not in a great headspace to begin with, I’m in no mood to forgive too-tight stalls and endless one-way lanes.

Usually I park on the other side of the hospital in the shiny, new parkade but today I decided I had arrived early and should take the opportunity to conquer my foe. I pulled into the terrible parking lot and immediately spotted the one remaining empty space. I was stuck in a maze of one-way lanes but I dutifully followed the path of arrows until I turned the last corner just in time to see someone drive quickly the wrong way down a one-way lane and zip into my spot (MY spot). I drove slowly by, giving them the stink eye the entire time, and quickly exited the terrible parking lot. I drove around the hospital and parked in my usual lot, continued walking around the other side of the hospital, and made it to my clinic with approximately 30 seconds to spare.

The moral of the story is: sometimes things are just terrible and you don’t have to prove you can best them. Sometimes it’s okay to just park in the easy lot, even if it means you have to walk farther to reach your destination.