This Ain't Nothing....

Why is it that vehicles seem to break down just after you fill them with gas ...and detail from top to bottom (read yesterday's blog). Add to it that it literally was 110 degrees, as I often use to exaggerate the heat, but it truly was H-O-T!

Here I am, just back into the sweltering car from spending a chunk of cash at the gas station, when I turn my key and notice a loud knocking noise. At first, I thought it was the oversize truck beside me, but as I pulled out, I noticed the sound followed me. Turning down K-LOVE to better hear, I tracked the sound to my air vents. Windows down, air off, noise stopped. Wonderful...my air decides to malfunction on one of the hottest afternoons in history. In addition, my poly-cotton dress clothes are rapidly clinging to my already sweaty skin. I have several more stops to make and my hair is quickly becoming a cross between just from the shower wet to just from the gym frizzy. Nice.

There was a time when the events of today might have plummeted me into a very bad mood. While I can't say it wasn't frustrating, I let it go. Well, after a call to hubby, who reminded me I was nearly an hour away. If I wasn't in danger and the truck was running, I would be ok. (Tell that to my pants which are by this point stuck to the leather seat!) But, he was right and there was nothing that could be done, at least not until he made it home from work.

I could've cried. I could've worried. I could've let IT win. But in the big picture of things, the air conditioner going out, even on a hot summer day, is nothing compared to the trials and concerns of others. If there is anything that going through pain and suffering has taught me, it is to let the little things go. Things could be so much worse. Life is too short to cry over spilled milk...or in this case, hot air.

Because, in the end, it was nothing at all. A store receipt had travelled from the glove box to some back-of-the-hood compartment and was causing the knocking sound. So, immediate joy came from not having to pay a mechanic to find this out (thanks Tim!), to not having to pay a hefty bill to fix a broken air conditioner. The best joy though was not letting the little things turn into the big thing that ruined my day!