Category: Uncategorized

Give thanks … always.

I was dressed and ready for a lower body workout at my community’s gym last Wednesday.

I got in my car, turned over the ignition, and the cranking and clicking sounds of “You’re not going anywhere,” reminded me that I should not have ignored the signs that my battery was on the fritz …

… Signs I have been quite familiar with during my 12-year relationship with my beloved red Mazda CX-7. She’s old in car years, but with barely 100K miles on her odometer, she runs like a puppy chasing her tail.

… Except when she gives me signs that I shouldn’t take her for granted. Like that pesky check engine light that can mean anything from a loose gas cap to a battery that needs replacement. It had been on for a few days, but I had turned a blind eye to it.

But on this particular morning, the Goddess of Abs, Legs, and Back conspired with the Goddess of Cars That Think 12 is the New 7 to remind me of a lesson I often need to be reminded of.

First-World Things Taken For Granted

I grabbed my phone, requested AAA service on the app, and went back inside my house to check on the status of the update I’d started on my computer.

I also texted my mechanic and told him I might need him to come over in case the issue was more serious than a dead battery.

While waiting for AAA to arrive, I made an appointment for a mani/pedi and massage.

First-world problems are a bitch, aren’t they?

Thirty minutes later, AAA arrived. Jeoff, the service technician, walked out of the truck with a smile that could launch a thousand ships. He immediately put my mind at ease.

We talked about car prices, the price of food, the price of sushi, the price of housing.

Blah, blah, blah it went, Jeoff and I complaining about the price of things that despite going up, we could still afford.

He told me he was from Haiti. I told him I was Cuban.

And then we both stopped and looked at each other., recognizing that despite our problems, others wish they had them.

First-World Lessons Learned

I’d like to tell you that having my plans go awry didn’t bother me.

I’d like to tell you that I didn’t have a “Woe is me moment” when my car didn’t turn over.

I’d like to tell you that I looked at the bright side and didn’t let my mind go down the “My car is fried, and I will need a new one” rabbit hole.

I’d like to tell you that the first thing that popped into my mind when my car didn’t turn over was, “God is protecting me from something.”

I’d like to tell you all these things … and I will.

Because that’s precisely what happened.

Because as I approach the beginning of my 66th trip around the sun, I am not perfect, but I have learned to be thankful for everything, especially the “bad” things that happen.

Because my puny problems are laughable.

Think about it.

My response to my unresponsive car was to text for service on an app, check on the status of an OS update so I could work that day from the comfort of my home office, contact a mechanic who comes to my house to service my car, and make an appointment for a mani/pedi and a massage.

All first-world solutions to “problems” for which I am eternally grateful.

Everything in this perfect universe is perfect, and the longer I have to look back, the more I remember that things always work out how they’re supposed to.

And the outcome is always much better than what I had anticipated.