Today was another day of being slammed with work.   And by work, I mean waiting at home for my delivery of Lou Malnati's Chicago style pizza, all the way from Chicago.  The pizzas, a gift from a friend, were making their way to me in all their dry iced deliciousness for most of the day, and since waiting for my pizza arrival was my primary task for the day, I spent most of the day staring out the window.  It actually looked a lot like every other day. To give you an idea of how I looked, I found this YouTube video of a cat who was also waiting for his Lou Malnati's pizza delivery.

When the UPS guy finally rang the doorbell at 4:30, Romeo started barking violently and racing towards the door, and I got so excited trying to outrun the dog that I tripped over him, spilled my iced coffee and immediately slipped on it, slamming my head into the door.  I opened the door squinting, bent at the knee, and dripping with iced coffee, but when i saw that box, I could only smile. 

Believe it or not, I do try to listen to the Universe.  

To those little signs the Universe whispers to us, that supposedly tell us whether we're on the right path or not.  The problem is, I think we only see the signs we want to see.  If I were really listening to the Universe, I might have a different experience standing there covered in iced coffee, staring at my pizza while bleeding from the forehead.  

If your zeal for deep-dish pizza gave you a head wound, maybe you'd question whether you were perhaps too excited about it. A disproportionate response, if you will. Well I'm sorry -- maybe I see the world through rose-colored glasses, or maybe it was the blood dripping into my eyes, but I could see nothing in this situation but a box of heaven at my door. And a few stars flickering in my peripheral vision.

I had to thaw the pizza for an agonizing two hours before cooking it, so I put it on the counter and called my friend Rachel to catch up while staring intently at the pizza and thinking thawing thoughts.  After a few minutes of staring at the pizza, the belt I was wearing suddenly burst open and broke.  And to prove I'm not making this up, I took a picture.

Let's recap: while staring at two pizzas I just had shipped across the country in dry ice, the force of my own stomach against my forged metal buckle was so intense it broke the belt holding my pants up. Would I see this as a sign that maybe I shouldn't be bulk-shipping pizza across the country at this time?  Not at all.

I do heed other signs. A while later while shopping at Trader Joe's, the Universe gave me a sign to buy this specific wine to drink with my pizza. So I did.

And just minutes after that the Universe sent me a creepy pedophile shopping in ridiculous short shorts as a sign that I needed to take a picture of him for my blog. So I did. 

As I shopped for groceries and more pedophile photo opps, I had to struggle to keep my pants up since I was no longer wearing a belt.  And by the time I got to my car, with a bag in each hand and fumbling for the keys, my pants simply dropped to the ground.  Now this was a sign I noticed.  If I was so thin now that my pants wouldn't even stay up, then clearly I could afford to go home and eat my pizza.  So I did.  

And that crust was so buttery it tasted like a cheese and pepperoni croissant.  

I guess we're free to interpret the signs in whatever way we see fit.  If you're standing in a parking lot holding your groceries in your arms with your pants around your ankles, it may very well be a sign that the Universe simply has a sense of humor.  

Just as the fact that I wasn't wearing underwear was a sign that it was laundry day.

And to the Mexican family in the car next to me, it was a sign to lock the doors and shield the children's eyes from the fat naked gringo.

I still believe we only see what we want to see, even though that particular family might not agree.

And for me, today was proof that an unexamined life is not only worth living, it's also delicious.