Tom and I occasionally can't find our car in the parking lot - especially since we have a dark colored car that looks just like every dark colored car. But we are usually close enough that it doesn't take us too long. You know, just one row over or didn't quite walk far enough down the row.
A few days ago, we just couldn't find our car in the Walmart parking lot. We even split up, and still couldn't find it. A young woman walked up behind me and said, "Ma'am, we have a little baby with us and we don't have enough gas to get home to Elk City. I wonder if you could meet us across the street at the gas station and buy us a little gas."
Tom came over when he saw us talking, and heard what she said. He gave me the little nod that means, "It's okay by me, honey. We can do it if you think we should."
I told the woman, "Sure, we can help you. If we ever find our car!" It was only a few seconds later that I said, "There it is!" We were over about two rows too far.
So, we bought the family some gas and gave them a few dollars to get something cold to drink - it looked as thought they didn't have air conditioning in that old car - and went on our way.
A couple of days later, we had to return to Walmart. As we were walking out, I mentioned to Tom that it was really odd that we couldn't find the car for so long that day. Tom told me, "I think we weren't meant to find the car. If we had found the car right away, we wouldn't have been there to help the lady that needed gas to get home."
That really made me think. Is it destiny when something like that happens? Is it possible that, sometimes, we have a flat to prevent us from being in the wrong spot and being killed or hurt in a car crash? When we are cursing the fates for problems that interfere with our plans, are we wrong? Perhaps the fates are preserving us.
It really makes you think.
This is something that I wrote in 2001, a year after my Mikey-poo went off to college...I think it speaks for itself...
Solving Life’s Puzzles
I think I have too much time on my hands.
Ever since my youngest child left for college last year, I’ve been pondering life’s philosophical questions. The problem is, I’m actually answering them.
I first answered the question, "Is the glass half empty or half full?" The answer? It depends. If the glass is in the process of being filled, (maybe you’re pouring a glass of milk), and you stop halfway, then the glass is half full. If the glass is in the process of being emptied, (you are drinking the milk), and you stop halfway, the glass is half empty. Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?
The next deep, burning question I answered was, "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" The chicken came first, of course.
You ask, "Why of course?" Well, I’ll tell you. If you believe God created the animals on day six, then there’s your answer. Genesis doesn’t say anything about creating eggs.
If, on the other hand, you believe chickens evolved from lizards, the answer is the same, and here is the logic. The first chicken must have been hatched from a lizard egg, because chickens did not yet exist. Therefore, the first chicken came before the first chicken egg.
It’s only been a year, and I’ve already solved these two mind-boggling questions. Just think what amazing revelations I’ll have for you by this time next year.
I definitely have too much time on my hands.
I've figured out what's wrong with Prez Bush...He's sleep deprived! Jay Leno delights in showing us the prez trying to open doors that won't open, saying things that don't make any sense. Actually, Jay has a lot of footage of the prez saying things that don't make any sense.
Anyway, I was thinking about how they got him all polished up before he was elected president. They even got him to pronounce nuclear correctly. But, now, he's back to his old self, or worse. I haven't heard him pronounce nuclear correctly in a couple of years.
As someone who has been sleep deprived for years, I feel that I can recognize the symptoms when I see them. The bleary eyes, the foggy brain, the blurred speech, the problems thinking things through before the words come out of your mouth.
My personal approval rating of the prez has been going down right along with the rest of the country, but now I feel sorry for him. I know how it feels to be sleep deprived and have everyone think you're just stupid. But at least I don't have the world watching when I screw up.
Just a Thought I got stuck in an elevator today. The first time in my 55 years on this earth.
Tom and I went to the new Route 66 park, by Lake Overholser, in Oklahoma City. It's new, so of course the restrooms are out of order and the elevator doesn't work. But at least the restrooms had an "out of order" sign on them, unlike the elevator. And there was a huge dog turd in front of one elevator door.
Anyway, to get back to my "trapped in an elevator" story, we walked up the stairs, but we didn't take our asthma inhaler with us. So we decided to take the elevator back down.
Big mistake.
We hopped onto the elevator, and this little 5 year old kid hopped on with us. As the doors closed we realized it was completely dark in there.. I started pushing buttons, but all I managed to do was make an alarm buzz. The elevator wasn't moving, even though we pushed the first floor button. Tom finally saved the day by pushing the right button. (sigh- My hero!)
The little boy went running off the elevator, telling everyone about how scary it was. We walked down the stairs, and as we reached the bottom floor there was a lady standing by the big dog turd in front of the elevator doors.
"You don't want to get on that elevator, Lady," I said to her. "We got stuck on there already."
As we were leaving the area, we could hear her on her cell phone saying, "the elevator isn't working. These people were already stuck on it."
Not much of an adventure, I guess, but we were beginning to get a little claustrophobic. The little boy had tried to comfort us by telling us he had kinfolk there at the park, and they would find us.
By the way, make sure your little ones know not to get on an elevator with strangers.
So, if you want to go to the Route 66 park, it's really nice. Just make a point to stay away from the elevator.
PS - Tom and I discussed the dog turd, and now that we think about it, the restrooms were
not working. Hmmmm...
When did driving between the lines become optional? People just meander around the road, sometimes using blinkers, most times not. Sometimes they straddle the lines, sometimes they drive with their tires on the lines - I think so that they can see how long the paint lasts with tires driving on them.
It is really scary driving beside these people as they arbitralily wander back and forth. Suppose they wander over the line just as they pull up beside you? What if two cars decide to wander over the lines at the same time and meet up in the middle? I try to be prepared for these wanderers, and drive behind or in front, not beside them.
I think there should be some way to monitor these people, and make them pay more taxes to repaint the lines. Or make them repaint the lines themselves.
It's just a thought.
So, I'm watching the 6 o'clock news, and all I can see on the screen are the female anchor's incredibly white teeth glowing from the middle of her incredibly tan face.
What's the deal, anyway? The first time I saw a lady from work looking like that, I laughed at her. It reminded me of the Friends episode where Ross falls asleep with a bleach plate in his mouth and his teeth are so white they glow in the dark.
Have you noticed that everyone seems to be falling asleep with bleach plates in their mouths lately? While stretched out on their tanning beds? Is this supposed to be attractive?
Maybe these people should watch that episode of Friends. And if that doesn't do the trick, they could always look in a mirror.
It's just a thought.
