May 9, 2011

Ode to the Honda Civic and Chiropractic Boards

 Last weekend

Garrett was out of the state for a neurology conference. 
It happens every so often
and though Kenners misses her daddy terribly and I have a hard time sleeping well without him snoring beside me (how ironic is that!?), Kenners and I enjoy our girls' weekends complete with dark chocolate and chick flicks.  
Sundays without Daddy can be a little challenging since Kenners (likes most toddlers) has a little difficulty behaving during Sacrament meeting and I am having a harder time handling her with my expanding belly, but last Sunday I equipped myself with an arsenal of little tricks and goodies to promote a more peaceful and reverent Sacrament service (for everyone).   I put Kenadie into a new dress, battled with her to tame her cute little mop-top, and even got out of the door to make it to church EARLY.  Go me!
 
And then as I approached our car in the garage, I noticed that there was glass everywhere, that my windshield had been cracked, a window had been shattered, the contents of my glove box were all over the car and on the floor outside of the car, my rear-view mirror was ripped off and shattered, and a few very invaluable "valuables" (like an ancient, worth-practically-nothing GPS) were gone. 
No more making it to church early, or on time, or at all.
I got to spend the day dealing with cops, insurance, and towing companies.
It was fabulous.  
That poor little Civic is a magnet for vandalism, hit-and-runs, and other random shenanigans (like when my 3 year old niece and nephew decided to take it for a ride down the driveway).
It's gotten me from A to B which I'm grateful for, but it sure hasn't come without a lot of expense and battle scars.  (Anyone want to buy my little gem??  I'm ready to move on to something bigger, better, and less-cursed!)

After forking over the big bucks, my car is back to its pre-vandalized state (hooray!) and now the next challenge to tackle this week is Garrett's prep. for his LAST round of chiropractic boards this coming weekend.  Can. not. wait.
But in the meantime, I am reminded of some very wise words from a very wise man:

"Life is to me enjoyed, not just endured."
          ~Gordon B. Hinckley

I think I spend too much of my life and time looking forward to the end of the next stressful event or ordeal.
Like looking forward to Garrett graduating from school.  
Or looking forward to holding my new little baby next month.  
Or looking forward to having a better with more space.
Or looking forward to nap time after a long morning of fit-throwing.
Or looking forward to a vacation.
Or looking forward to summer.

While there is nothing wrong with looking forward to the future,
I need to make sure that I enjoy the moment, even if the moment seems less-than-desirable. 
My Honda is a pill, but it sure has given me a few great stories to share and tell over the past few years.....plus, Kenners had the time of her life hugging and kissing the large cardboard cut-out of the Geico gecko while we waited at the auto body shop (of course, she thought it was a "fwoggie....rabbie!  rabbie!").
Summer is definitely a warm welcome after a long winter, but what fun games, projects, and indoor (and outdoor) activities do I miss out on during the winter because I don't fully enjoy that particular season when it's here but rather choose to just wish that it were summer?  

I find that, in general, when I look back at periods of my life, it's the fun and good times that first come to mind.  For example, I had a blast in college and have so many fond memories.  While I did enjoy those years in the moment, I probably complained about or focused a little too much on the stress of finals and projects I had at the time.  I remember when I used to look forward to the end of the semester so I could have a break from that stress.
In retrospect, I wonder why I ever wished for those days to scoot on by just for sake of a little stress-relief!?  Those were dang-fun times!  Would I have had even more fun and joy in my life if I hadn't spent some of that time wishing those days away?

I'm sure that in 10 years I'll probably feel the same way about my life now.....
Why did I wish for Garrett's semester to be OVER or for nap time to come faster??  
Being poor college students is kind of a fun adventure and I really have enjoyed this season of my life.  While fit-throwing is never "fun", it can be funny and I can choose to (discretely) chuckle at it instead of getting boiling mad. 
Besides, the fits are totally worth getting to be the mommy of such a spunky little lady.  She is a hoot and a half and I just LOVE her! 

Sooooo....while I'm tempted to just daydream about getting a new, less quirky car, while a part of me is celebrating that it is now nap-time, and while I'm looking at the calendar longingly to next Monday when Garrett's boards are finally and forever over (hallelujah!), 
I need to remind myself over and over to enjoy this. 
Right now. 
All of it.  
In the future I'll probably remember how awesome this time in my life was anyway, so I might as well bask in its awesomeness right now. 

5 comments:

The Allen Family said...

This is so true! I find myself actually missing Minneapolis now that we don't live there anymore. It's funny how that happens. Miss you guys like crazy. So happy for you and Garrett. There isn't anything better than being done with school! How is the car hunting coming along? Sorry I had to hang up so fast the other day. Let me know what you guys end up getting. Love ya!

Unknown said...

It seems like most of us either can't wait for what's to come, or we want to be back to the way it was! Well, you're not the only one - day to day is tough (unless of course, you're on vacation for a third of the year like some people I know!!! jk). I keep thinking I can't wait for this year to end and how I just want the chance to start over. But then I realized I've got to ALWAYS find a way to have joy in the journey.

And, just want you to know that even though there are some Obergies that think that you shouldn't make such a big deal out of having your car vandalized, you definitely have the right to feel like your privacy was invaded, even though you didn't lose much. I've never had it happen to me myself, but when I heard about it, I thought about how I would certainly feel violated, even if I didn't lose anything.

Anyways, love ya and can't wait to see you soon!

Jenny Willardson said...

Woops! That was from me...Apparently I was logged into my relief society account! :)

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