You Just Have To Focus On The Good!

What’s wrong with this picture?  You guessed correctly.  It’s a mangled car.  That’s my car.  It looks like that because it was in an accident – while carrying my two daughters.   You might be wondering if they’re all right.  I’ll get to that in a minute.  First, I want to take you through the emotional roller coaster that is my life at this moment.

Bad News:  I received a phone call a couple Friday mornings ago from my crying 21-year-old.  Through her tearful voice, all I could understand was, “car hit us,” and, “hit my head.”

Good News: She was crying.  Which meant she was ALIVE.  In my heart of hearts, I knew my other daughter was ok, too. 

Bad News:  My car got mangled.  I have no idea how long it’s going to take to get fixed or even if it can be fixed.  We have yet to hear anything.  This means I don’t have any other forms of transportation for myself.  If I have to share our other car, and with our busy lives, it’s going to be quite a juggling act.

Good News: A sweet relative loaned me the use of her car, which was new in 1996.  I won’t tell you who she is, because frankly, I don’t want to embarrass her.   If I were her, I’d be embarrassed.

Bad News:  The next block can hear me coming when I drive it.  When I told her about it, she said, “Yeah, the mechanic told me it has a hole in the muffler.”   The speedometer works when it feels like it.  In this City with all the red light cameras, you’d better have a speedometer.  In fact, your speedometer should be set to “City” so that you can only drive 30 mph and 20 in a school zone.  In fact, I don’t think any of the gauges on her panel work because the gas gauge doesn’t work either.  It ping pongs between “E” and a half tank.  I left home one day and it was on half.  Less than ten miles later, it was on “E.”  I’m no physicist, rocket scientist or Nobel Prize winner, but I don’t think even the biggest gas guzzler on the street will use a half tank of gas in that short distance.  So what was the smart thing to do? I put gas in it.  Or at least attempted to.   

 I went to the pump after giving the clerk $20 to fill up the tank.  After pumping about $3 worth, it stopped.  I tried it again.  This time it gave $2 more.  I figured there was something wrong with the station’s pump.  Either that – or the tank was full.  I couldn’t tell.  I explained this situation to my relative to which she replied, “Oh. You have to gently squeeze the pump, and you have to tilt the nozzle down.”  What?  I needed special instructions on pumping gas for this thing?

“Oh, ok.  Thanks for telling me that,” I said sweetly.  Then I remembered some time ago, she replaced her gas tank because it eroded.  Well, I think the whole tilting scenario was because the mechanic must have misaligned the tank’s opening.  Oh well, I’ll just have to adjust to making gas-pumping a well-thought out process from now on.

Good News: My girls suffered only minor injuries.  I’d rather have a mangled car than mangled girls.

Bad News:       What bad news?