Things have just not been going my way. Things have got to change for the better here pretty soon… PLEASE!
About a month ago before I bought my new truck I was on my way to work. Everyone around me slammed on their brakes and I nearly hit the guy in front of me. The guy behind me was not so lucky. He plowed into my car and wedged his car under mine. I drove my car off of his hood, we exchanged information, and went on our separate ways. I did get a check from the insurance company and used that for a down payment on the Dodge.
About a week after getting rear ended I got pulled over doing 76 MPH in a 65 MPH zone. I was merging onto the freeway and was accelerating up to speed. I looked down at my speedometer and noticed I was speeding. Too late. I looked in my rear view and there were flashing lights. I got my first ever speeding ticket in the 12 years I have been driving. It cost me $130.
Last night I went to my nieces birthday party. I took Ace into the party and everyone had a good time. A friend came in from outside and said my window on the Explorer was shattered. I was irate that someone busted out the window! I couldn’t find anything missing. A while later I noticed my wallet was not in my pocket. I stopped at the drive-thru on the way to the party to pick up some stuff and must have left my wallet lay next to me on the seat. They busted the truck window to get my wallet which only had $20 cash, but had numerous credit cards, my driver’s license, and about $200 worth of Lowe’s gift cards that I was gonna use to help fix up the bathroom. I drove the Explorer around for a day with no window, and got it replaced today for a whoppin’ $190 dollars!
While driving around town today getting a new driver’s license (which I just renewed last month on my birthday) I encountered a stupid driver. He was driving a big moving van. There were cars parked along the curb. I was in the right lane and he was in the left lane. I was right next to him. He changed lanes real fast and I had to slam on my brakes to keep from hitting him or one of the parked cars. He saw me at the last minute and swerved back.
I’m driving around in the cold with no window and no wallet…in a bad mood before I even left the house, and this guy hit my last nerve. I’m usually the quiet and reserved guy, but I think I hit my breaking point. I sped past him with my hand out the door flying the bird.
A bit up the road I was making a turn on my way go see Momma and Ace and looked in my rear view mirror. Well, let’s just say, I didn’t know a moving van could accelerate like that! I must have struck his last nerve too! He FLEW down a 25 MPH street at probably 50 MPH and proceeded to follow me within a few feet of my bumper. I so bad wanted to brake check him, but knew he would rear end me and didn’t want to go through that again.
After following me for five or six blocks he finally turned down a side street and went on his merry way.
While this is all bad luck, I guess it could be looked at as good luck…kinda. I could have been killed on the freeway in the accident, but I wasn’t. I could have been killed while speeding, but wasn’t. Someone could have jumped me while I was carrying Ace to steal my wallet, but they didn’t. And the crazy moving van driver could have been one of those crazy road rage killers, but he wasn’t!
Maybe these are all just signs that I need to slow down and be more careful. Even if they aren’t…that’s what I am going to do!
Just stumbled across your blog today and read this post. I too have had days like that, and I don’t always look at things from the other side. IE – you were lucky that things weren’t worse. In my blog I wrote about an article about children of divorced parents and how they are affected. This article of yours made me stop and think, I am lucky that my daughters are still in my life, I am lucky that my ex and I get along just fine now, and I am lucky that my daughters still love me and can’t wait to see me on the weekends.
Thanks.
Oh my goodness! Yes, sometimes when it rains it pours. I’m glad you and your family is safe, though.
I pray things do get better for you
Jared if thats your first ever speeding ticket I congratulate you Im sure not everyone could say that
sounds like a good plan
and I sincerely hope things get better for you
I like you put it in perspective at the end. Life throws us many curves – some worse than others, but in the end if you and your family can settle in safe and sound at the end of the day, you did ok. And the road rage thing… yeah, there are TOO many crazies out there today, and no amount of bad driving is worth getting shot over. A fistfight maybe, but not a bullet. And since you can’t tell if an altercation will escalate to that, you’re always better staying level-headed. If not for your sake, for Ace’s. I find the stereo to be a great source of calm when I feel road rage coming on.
The stereo? Yes, that’s for sure. That’s the only way I avoid throwing the work phone out the window or telling my fellow commuters that they are ‘number one’ in traffic some days. 🙂
Wow-that IS a bummer. I HATE wasting money on things like speeding tickets and smashed car windows. Things will get better. Have a great Thanksgiving…count your blessings and WEAR YOUR SEATBELT!
@Monkey: Thanks for visiting and commenting! I read your article…those were some very touching things posted in the news article!
@Jen: Thank you! I hope they get better too! 🙂 Yup it was my first ticket…and the accident was also the first accident I was in. Too many firsts…
@BusyDad: I don’t think the stereo would have played loud enough that day. 🙂 I’m usually pretty cool about things for the reasons you mention. Too many crazies with guns and knives out there…
@Stephen: I feel ya there. I usually just mutter a quiet profanity (not loud enough for them to here me though)…keeps us all safe and relives some stress. 🙂
@Jill: I hate wasting money as well. You have a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving!
I started reading this post at 11:13.
Creepy, huh?
Oh, so that was YOU!!!
Happy Thanksgiving, Bird Boy!
If it weren’t for bad luck, I would have no luck at all. It will turn around, be thankful that nobody got hurt, keep your finger in check and things will turn around. Keep your chin up!
As they say, patience is a virtue. So, be patient and things will work out fine.
I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, so I like the way you ended that post! I’m proud of you for somehow finding a bright side to all that!
[…] I guess that is a good thing. It’s better than being bombarded with bad luck. […]
That was creepy huh…