Friday, November 5, 2010

Smashing Pumpkins

I've been grumbling lately about how my cell phone always runs out of juice part way through the day and how all my stuff is in storage and I need a winter coat and how I don't know anyone here. My car isn't getting the mileage I expected when I bought it, none of my shoes are comfortable enough to walk the 1/2 mile to work every day, grumble grumble grumble. It wasn't a full on pity party, but I had definitely started hanging the decorations.

< * C R A S H * >

On the way home from my son's school we were hit by another car. My side airbags deployed. My son called out "I'm ok"

< * The Dust Settles *>

I noticed powder in the air and on the dash from the airbags. I called 911, I got out to check on the other car. It was freezing outside, so I pulled my new coat out of the shopping bag. Yeah, that's right. Less than an hour before I had bought a knee length 100% wool coat with a delicious collar that curved up around my ears. My dad recently sent a care package with a pair of wool lined leather gloves and I pulled them out of the glove compartment where they'd been waiting for the really cold weather to hit. I was warm and cozy as we walked up and down looking at the cars and calling our insurance agents and in general wishing we were anywhere else but there.

< *Waiting * >

And then we waited. And waited. and waited some more. I was thankful that I was wearing a comfy pair of shoes that I miraculously found this morning in one of the boxes crowding our temporary apartment. Modest heels, rubber soled. Just the thing for standing on the shoulder of a busy road.

My insurance agent emailed me a copy of the car's proof of insurance. My phone somehow managed to work perfectly as the police officer pulled the relevant information off the PDF.

My phone went dead. Turned out that my son had his cell phone on him. All of the gentle reminders about putting it on the charger every night and taking it with him every morning had been heeded. It was fully charged and I was able to make a seamless transition with my insurance agent, my dad, my son's friends.

Apparently I've got people: my agent arranged for a body shop to stay open late so that I could have the car taken straight there. Arrangements were made for a local car rental place to pick me up at the body shop and put me in a rental car. I was turning down offers from my son's friends to come and pick us up.

< * What was I so unhappy about again? * >

In just a few short hours I realized that things weren't as bad as I thought they were. There's always something to grumble about, but there was also a ton of stuff to be grateful for. Here's my short list for today:
  • God's watching out for me!  
  • My loved ones and I are alive and have no broken bones
  • I got my coat, gloves, and comfy shoes right as I needed them.
  • My phone stayed alive for the important part, and then a replacement phone was close at hand
  • I'm not alone. Everywhere I turned tonight people were kind and helpful, even going out of their way to take care of us. 
And the car mileage? Well, if it turns out that the car is totalled, I may be getting a second chance at a car with great mileage. I hope it isn't totalled though. There's something to be said for being able to call my car a smashing pumpkin.
Smashed Pumpkin

3 comments:

  1. Hah hah Smashed Pumpkin. Thankful it wasn't smashed you.

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  2. Clever title, you ;)

    So glad you two will be okay.

    *hugs* from Kansas!

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  3. I'm so Happy you are okay
    xoxo from Esmeralda

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