Tag Archives: aunt

Just One

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Just one

Dec09-3Recently I had to take my car to the dealership for the 60k mile service.  In return I was given a loaner. Boy, this car was sharp – the new Lexus ES350.  It had the touch start, automatic windshield wipers and head lights and pretty much everything you could ask for.  I was driving in style.

Since I got the car Saturday, I was able to keep it through Monday morning.  It was luxury at best.  Nobody could tell me anything as I drove my new Lex down I-71 for a planned trip to Cincinnati.  I was sad to let her go, but glad to be reunited again with my SUV.

The day after returning the car, I flew to North Carolina to spend time with my aunts.  The first thing I did as I arrived was pick up my rental car. Since it was just me traveling and I wouldn’t be going far, I asked for the cheapest thing – an economy car.  They pulled up a cute blue Hyundai Accent Hatchback.

I turned the key in the ignition and was on my way.  After a short distance I noticed my mirrors weren’t adjusted.  I looked for the button to change them.  There wasn’t one.  There was a manual handle instead by each mirror.  I could reach the left one, but the right one was too far away.  I continued to look around and saw that everything was manuals.  The locks were manual.  The windows were manual.  Everything.

It was odd going from one extreme to the other in less than 24 hours.  But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this happens to people all the time.  Sometimes we feel like we are on the top of the world and all it takes is one incident, one misstep, one unfortunate event to take it all away.  The recession, for example, has caused many people to be laid off and rethinking their priorities.  One drink has caused some to lose their jobs.  Just one car crash can cause all of your hidden secrets to come out of the closet.  Just one.

But with that, you also need to appreciate what you still have.  I may not have driven in luxury for those two days in NC, but I had a reliable source of transportation.  It was a great size for me.  The mileage was amazing and it only cost $2.30 to fill her back up.  So, while it’s great to have luxuries in life (there is nothing wrong with being proud of them), also realize that when that one thing has happened to take you down a level, that there are still many blessings around you.

Merry Christmas!

M.Y.  December 2009

Watch the Signs

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Watch the signs

Dec09-2My aunt had a heart transplant while I was in college and since then she hasn’t traveled much.  I usually try to go visit her in Fayetteville, NC a couple times of year.  That heart is now 12 years old and declining rather quickly.   I planned a quick day trip to see her – out on Monday, back on Tuesday.

Monday morning I parked my car at work and my colleague dropped me off at SDF.  I had already printed out my boarding pass the day before and headed to the security line.  As I reached in my purse for the pass – it was not there.  Hmmmm.  No problem, I thought, I’ll just go to the ticket counter to print out another.

The US Airways lady at the desk asked where I was going.  Tap, tap, tap.  “Your Charlotte flight is cancelled.  And, so is your flight to Fayetteville.”  I ask why.  She says fog.   She puts me on a Delta flight two hours later. I call my colleague to turn back around and take me to the office for two hours to waste time.

Before leaving again I get the inclination to check the Delta flight online.  The 11:30am flight was now delayed until 12:05.  Not bad, EXCEPT that only gave me 12 minutes to make my connecting flight in ATL.  I called the Delta dude and told him what I discovered.  He said, we’ll you might make.  I kindly told him that I’m not about to fly to ATL for a flight that I might make, especially in the Atlanta airport!  He then graciously offered for me to wait in ATL for three hours for the next flight after that.  No gracias, senor.

I realized that it just wasn’t meant for me to fly on Monday.  I called US Airways and asked if I could just move my entire itinerary to Tuesday-Wednesday instead.  She said sure, made the changes and I felt much better.  I complimented her on her great customer service and asked to brag on her to her supervisor.

My trip was great.  My relatives were excited to see me. Sometimes we just need to follow our gut and go with our feelings.  Just because we want something, doesn’t mean that it’s good for us.  Following my feelings with flying was easy to do.  However, it’s much more difficult to do when it comes to matters of the heart.  We all say we want ‘signs’ to know what paths to follow in life – but when they are there, do we fully acknowledge them?

M.Y.  December 2009