Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Things Could Have Ended Horribly. But. They Did Not. We Are Grateful.


Lisa worked 12+ hours yesterday. She left for work at 5:45 a.m. and didn't get home until almost 8 p.m. About an hour before she arrived home from work, I became irritated with a minor situation that teetered on the fine line of someone being blatantly inconsiderate and thoughtless. I sent Lisa a text about it to give her a heads up because I knew when she saw it, it would bother her too.

I was sitting at the kitchen table working on blog columns and tending to our late dinner when she unlocked the back door and walked in. She was frustrated. Maybe even a little bit hurt. I spoke up.

"I'm sorry, honey. I would have done (said chore) earlier, but you've always told me not to. But, everything else is done. Dinner is almost ready."

Lisa sighed. She mentioned what I was referring to, but that wasn't the reason why she was beyond frustrated.

"I have a flat tire."

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaah?"

"I was on the highway and heard a pop. Everything was fine until I pulled onto our road. When I parked in the driveway and got out, that's when I saw it."

I set the table and tended to dinner while she changed out of her work clothes, took the kids out, and spent some time with them.

"Okay. So, you call the insurance company in the morning and a tow and we'll get the tire replaced. That's the only thing you can do. It's too late right now to get all of that done."

"Yeah. I know. But, that means I'll be late for work. I'll have to text D and let him know what's going on."

Lisa was exhausted. I knew the situation that I brought to her attention earlier was really bothering her too. I told her to sit and relax. I would serve dinner.

Before doing that, Lisa called D to let him know what was going on. He was more than understanding and told her to take care of things in the morning. He offered her a ride and told Lisa to keep him updated.

While eating dinner, the same thought crossed both of our minds several times at the same time.

Things could have been much worse.

She could have blown a tire completely. On the highway. Traveling at 65-70 mph.

That never ends well.

We talked about that.

"Yeah, a flat tire sucks and it's a major inconvenience, but you made it home safely to your family. It could have ended a lot worse."

After dinner and our conversation, Lisa exhaled.

This morning, Lisa called the dealership, our insurance company, and kept D updated. She also made arrangements with one of our neighbor friends for a ride to and from work. During the wait time for the tow truck, I could tell she was stressed. Lisa doesn't like being late for work. She couldn't sit still. She paced.

When the tow truck arrived, the driver took one look at the tire and told Lisa that she was very lucky and explained why.

I'm fairly certain what he said resonated with Lisa because after all was said and done, Lisa's demeanor changed.

She was a couple of hours late for work and had to get out early to pick up our vehicle from the dealership.

We ended up getting 2 new tires.

When Lisa arrived home, she was in much better spirits.

Lisa delivered homemade bread and a flowering plant to our neighbor friend who played Taxi for Lisa today to extend our gratitude.

Lisa had a vibrancy in her stride this evening. She extended her gratitude above and beyond all the way around.

At dinner, she apologized for letting the stress of the situation get the best of her yesterday evening.

"I'm sorry. I let it consume me. I didn't acknowledge how amazing the house looked and how wonderful dinner was. I had a hard time focusing on the positive. And, I wasn't sensitive to the situation that bothered you. It bothered me too. A lot. Considering...  I hope you know that I am beyond relieved that I made it home safely to my family."

"I understand. Life happens. You're human. Just like me. I don't always respond well to stress and difficult situations. We are just very grateful that you got home safe. You probably had a few people watching over you during that time when you heard the pop."

We ate dinner while playing Yahtzee. Went about our usual Monday through Friday nightly routine. Had a little family snuggle time before I tucked Lisa and the kids in.

Grateful. Blessed.

No comments:

Post a Comment