Yesterday on my morning commute my radiator gave one last gasp and died. I had things to do at the office but things like that don’t matter when someone or something is giving up the ghost.
The plans we’ve made for the day will come to a screeching halt or will otherwise be placed on a temporary hold. People mostly understand if your difficulty doesn’t inconvenience them too much. I have found that to be fairly true. The radiator replacement took the entire day and, thankfully, had good moments to offset the bad— which included the driving hazard of radiator meltdown in rush-hour traffic; the immediate financial expense I was unprepared for; losing a productive day at work and missing a very important University-wide meeting.
But there was an upside. A silver lining of sorts because I chose to frame it that way. I got to reconnect with the kind and skilled owner of my local repair shop. Alfred had kept my previous car on the road well past its expiration date. Then with a phone call my son was there to give me a ride back to the house to wait it out. A ride and an encouraging spirit will get you back on track when, in the moment, you have neither. Hours later another needed ride back to the shop resulted in a neighborly slice of pizza for dinner then cheese n’ crackers in the cool evening breeze.
The people involved in our little life dramas can make or break the scene. Dramas are a given and as they come and go, so do the players in them. I’m very thankful that yesterday’s story played out so well. Many thanks to the cast of supporting actors!
To commemorate the experience I chose to picture a rose from my garden with the happiest little yellow flower. I have no idea what its called and would love to know the name of this cheery little friend with the deep red center. It was growing in a narrow patch of dry dirt at the entrance of the repair shop.
There’s usually beauty to be found if you keep your eyes open.
The Daily Cuppa Jo 