Life Happens, Mood Matters

We were leaving the lake after the first swim of the year.  "Rumor Has It" by Adele was blaring from our cheap car speakers and Emily and I performed a raucous serenade for her three nephews seated in the back.

We were the "fun" car.  We cracked jokes based on toilet humor, told tales about hair under armpits and made sure each boy got an attention unique to their needs.

And on the driveway from the lake to the country road, I drove over some lose chunks of black top stuffed into a pot hole and jarred the catalytic converter from the exhaust.  Hearing a terrible screeching noise, I the pulled the car over on the main road and investigated.  Immediately, I saw the problem and knew that we wouldn't be joining the boys for the backyard barbeque with their parents and grandparents.

While Emily's parents turned their car around to find out what had happened to us, I knew that how I reacted to this incident would be watched by the three boys.  My facial expression, my mood and my tone of voice all would create a subconscious impression upon them and would model how to handle life when it throws you a curve ball.

I responded, I noticed, with curiosity.  What was it?   I knew it had come from under the car.  I was happy to discover the source of the sound and pinpoint the cause which I shared with the three boys ages 4, 7 and 9.  I saw them watching me tell their grandfather, as they now sat in the back seat of his car,  that I would call AAA and have them tow us the 70 miles back home.  To the boys we said we were sorry that we would miss sharing the barbeque with them and what a wonderful time we had had with them.  These were the same boys who said to their grandparents over and over the day before, "When are Kim & Emily going to get here?!"

Four people stopped while we waited for the tow truck and asked if they could help.  I was not surprised.  People are mostly good and I loved having such a visible direct demonstration of this.  The tow truck guy brought his daughter with us and we talked together the entire journey home.  People are kind.

When life threw curve balls at me like this, the "old Kim" would have felt like a victim.  Today I feel like a person who loves what is, even if what is isn't the plan I had when the day began.

This is good for me and those growing boys and my relationship with Emily.  I am grateful for the sanity between the unpredictable and my response today.