A Little Perspective

My car has required extensive (not to mention expensive!) repairs twice in the last week. First, the battery and alternator went, and then four days after getting it back from the mechanic the brakes went.

Since John and his car are out of town, I needed to rent a car. So what this looked like went something like this: I dropped my car off at the mechanic at the crack of dawn in the snow, and had the rental car guy meet me there. I had to switch all my stuff, and two car seats, into the minivan they gave me - did I mention the snow? Then we had to all go to the rental car place to fill out the paperwork, and then we were off to an Attachment Parenting Support Group meeting. Of course, by the time we went back home, the driveway was a sheet of ice and I couldn't get the minivan up so I had to walk up carrying Harry (who hates the snow) and hoping Bess didn't face plant and require stitches. Then this morning, back down the frozen driveway into the minivan for school. Unfortunately, due to all the snow and freezing temperatures, the sliding doors were frozen shut, so we all had to climb into the backseat through the front to get into car seats. You'd think I would have enough foresight to go in through the passenger side, but I didn't - so I had to sit in snow for the entire ride. And the best part was that even though I didn't manage to open the doors enough to get in, I did manage to open them enough to make the car beep at me the entire ride to school to notify me that the door was ajar. Then back home, walk back up the driveway, then back down the driveway, back to the rental car place, back to the mechanic, car seats and stuff back into my car, and now all is well. This is all within a thirty-six hour window.

I am sure I don't need to tell you how irritating, not to mention exhausting, I found this whole extravaganza. I was especially irritated this morning when we were fifteen minutes late for (the first day of) school (in the past week because of snow and the holiday). On the way home, I started to think about how my thinking was making me think this whole thing was so annoying. The truth is, some people actually live in houses made of ice and hunt with spears to feed their families. Some people have to walk miles to get water, and then have to carry it home on their heads. Some kids never go to school, never learn to read and write. Some people can't afford a safe car, or any car at all. And I'm tired and aggravated because I had to move some car seats and walk up my driveway?

Isn't it funny how we can get so wrapped up in our own little thing that we totally lose sight of the big picture?