Okay, when I said I’d finish 2018 “broke and happy” in my last post, I did NOT mean for the universe to take that as a challenge.
What a day I’ve had. I was up early (compared to usual) so I could take my car to the mechanic for her checkup. Yes, she’s a her. Her name is Abby because she goes from A to B. Anyway, we dropped Abby off and went on our merry way. My dad’s vehicle broke down recently so we took his rental to the dealership to test drive and look at a few cars. On our way home, the mechanic called with bad news. Abby was terminally ill. Basically, I shouldn’t have been driving her, probably for months. The tire tread was down to 1mm, which is “bad even for summer driving” according to the mechanic’s office. There were two major parts that were on their last legs and probably would’ve gone kaput on the next cold day, which isn’t good, seeing as how it’s December and I’m in Canada. On the upside, they could fix my cigarette lighter easily. All in all, it would’ve totalled upwards of $2000 to make Abby safe to drive again, so it looks like she’ll be retiring soon.
I then went to see the new Spiderman movie with my dad and brother, and it was great.
Later, I got out of the car and dropped my phone without noticing. I walked a ways, the car drove a ways, then I realized I didn’t have my phone. So I went back to the car, couldn’t find it, and my dad suggested it might have fallen out. There it was, lying face up on the road, and wet, so it was definitely run over. But the screen wasn’t cracked and it looked alright otherwise…until I turned it on. The entire right half of the screen didn’t display, so add a phone to the expensive things I gotta replace.
So now I’m going to be really protective of my camera and laptop, the two most expensive things I own. I’m not off to a great start, because I currently have no idea where my camera battery charger is, and I kind of need it for this weekend and preferably also Christmas next week.
Despite all this, I’m feeling happy overall. Is that weird, to be happy on a day like this? Because I kind of am. I knew my car was junk on wheels for a long time, and my phone was reaching its end, too, so the losses aren’t hitting that hard, I was preparing to replace them anyway. Now, it’ll just be with a bit more…urgency. And in the end, they’re just material things. Ultimately, they don’t matter much. I had a good day with my dad and brother and dog. I had a good week of filming and theatre and a social life. So I guess I’m keeping my promise. I’m broke and happy.
Just please universe, don’t take that as another challenge.
Precarious Writer 