Everything is either a good time now or a good story later. That's, oddly enough, the mantra that has been going through my head repeatedly the last two days. I am currently sitting in between a glass repair shop and a gas station in a stalled out 24' Budget moving truck only 2 miles closer to this days driving destination than when I started. I should have been in Atlanta yesterday. I shouldn't even be in a Budget truck at all. We hired movers. What happened? They were suppose to be driving our personal possessions across the country. Why aren't they? Well, that is one of those good story later scenarios and for me, it is not quite later enough yet. Let's just say that I didn't feel comfortable spending twice as much as what the movers bid the job for and I wasn't in love with the idea of sending all my personal possession down the road with people who threatened to drive away to Florida with our stuff unless we gave them cash. So the next option that didn't involve bukoos if money was to pack it up and drive it myself, which is probably what I should have done in the first place. So, after waiting an extra day for a trailer to put the Xterra on we finally got on the road, all our plans up in smoke and... we break down two miles away from our house. If course we have to call roadside assistance and of course they can't get to us for an hour or more. They guys at Bay Auto Glass think it is a sign from God that we shouldn't be leaving. Maybe it's my leftover rage from the Russion Mob Moving Company but I might be inclined to agree with them. It seems like nothing has worked in our favor to move away from this place.
Now, of course there are a multitude of blessings that have arisen because of this fiasco. When folks found out we had to unload our stuff from the Russian Mob Moving Truck into our own moving truck, we had three strong boys and a Tetris master teacher who showed up to help load bearing Chick fil a for lunch. My room mom this year brought a case of cold waters for us, my grammar school principle sent the SOS out and I was bombarded with phone calls and texts from folks asking how they could help. We were given a guest room to stay in for two nights that came with dinner and late night encouragement. And now I get to drive across the country with my brother and dad which will be both an good time now and a good story later.
So what do you do when nothing seems to be going right? There was maxim that we taught our students this year. We would say "When you get knocked down," and they would reply, "Smile and get back up." Roll with the punches in a sense. Keep on truckin'. The temptation is to feel defeated, and certainly you will feel a sense of that. It is normal I think. But don't be defeated. Turn every situation into an opportunity. For me I took the opportunity to write a blog post. It's not huge, but it is something. Maybe it will help me turn this into a good story later, assuming, of course, the Russian mob doesn't come after me.
Now, of course there are a multitude of blessings that have arisen because of this fiasco. When folks found out we had to unload our stuff from the Russian Mob Moving Truck into our own moving truck, we had three strong boys and a Tetris master teacher who showed up to help load bearing Chick fil a for lunch. My room mom this year brought a case of cold waters for us, my grammar school principle sent the SOS out and I was bombarded with phone calls and texts from folks asking how they could help. We were given a guest room to stay in for two nights that came with dinner and late night encouragement. And now I get to drive across the country with my brother and dad which will be both an good time now and a good story later.
So what do you do when nothing seems to be going right? There was maxim that we taught our students this year. We would say "When you get knocked down," and they would reply, "Smile and get back up." Roll with the punches in a sense. Keep on truckin'. The temptation is to feel defeated, and certainly you will feel a sense of that. It is normal I think. But don't be defeated. Turn every situation into an opportunity. For me I took the opportunity to write a blog post. It's not huge, but it is something. Maybe it will help me turn this into a good story later, assuming, of course, the Russian mob doesn't come after me.