I know, it’s a little late for motivation; the day is almost done. But hey there’s something to be said for doing things in your own time. This post sort of came out of nowhere. (And the pics will make sense in a bit, I promise). I was listening to music on my way home from the gym and I started mulling over an earlier conversation with a friend. I had texted her just to check up on things; it had been a while. She mentioned her family; her niece will be having a birthday soon. There was a bit of good news but not a lot of change. “…I live a boring life…” I responded in kind. “I have a boring life too, I think I prefer it that way!”
Hours later I was still thinking about that. I like to keep things pretty tame, true, but life really isn’t that boring, is it? It’s highly unpredictable.
I skipped a track on the CD in my car. It was actually a CD that was already in the player when I purchased the car last week. I really didn’t know the order of songs yet. So true for life, we don’t know all of the tracks on our playlist yet. That can certainly be a good thing if we don’t get dragged down by the fear of the unknown. The unknown can be scary, but it can be exciting and full of unexpected possibilities.
Rewind to a few weeks ago when I was on my way to meet friends for lunch and got into a fender-bender. That’s the reason for this new car purchase. Now those of you who know me, know that I was in 2 accidents about 14 months ago. In my defense, the first 2 were in no way my fault. In both cases the other drivers ran stop signs. This time I rear ended an SUV. No one was hurt and the other driver’s car had minimal damage. My car, however, crumpled up like an accordion. Sigh.
I drive a lot. But still, no one would expect 3 accidents in 14 months. You just never know. And that’s what I mean. A split second and my lunch plans were changed. A split second and everything can change.
I don’t want this to be a downer, this is supposed to be motivating, after all. Like I said, there’s plenty of good that can be found in the unknown too. I think most things happen for a reason. Although, sometimes it’s hard to see it that way.
It was a cold, snowy night when I stopped after work to gather my belongings from my wrecked car. There was a row of mangled cars on the side of the road outside of the tow yard. I spotted my little white car in the row and my heart dropped to my stomach. It’s such a sad and strange thing to have to do. I grabbed my thermos and make-up bag and shuffled along the snow in my pencil skirt, tights, and sneakers in true “office lady” fashion. I realized that the electric was not working in the car which meant I wouldn’t be able to retrieve my Otis Redding CD. I was disappointed, but I didn’t want to dwell on it. It’s just a thing. Things are not important enough to be sad about. At least, that’s what I told myself.
But in a way, it’s like part of your life is gone. All those days of unwinding in my car after work, jamming to “Pain in My Heart”- those were all gone. Darn, Otis was my man! It was about the time I was lamenting my loss when I discovered this CD in the player. I pressed the button, hoping it was anything but death metal.
As it turns out, I actually like most of the songs. The second track is the same Ed Sheeran song that I was trying to remember just the day before! I’m not saying this was divine intervention or anything, it’s a happy coincidence, nothing more. But it is an example of how unexpected life can be.
In my 37 years, I’ve had my share of surprises. Some were like wrecking balls and some felt like miracles. Life is fragile. It’s hard and dark sometimes, but it can be light and uplifting too. We just can’t lose sight of that. Take on the day like you’re excited to see what it has in store. You may start out disappointed that you lost Otis, but end up delighted that you found Ed.
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