low RI-DER = $17.89

You know the song, a low Ri-Der, drives a little slower...

My dear sweet husband gets me into more "situations" given his inability to say no to things. He is a truly good guy and I would not trade him in for a more stingy model, but it makes life interesting.

This time, one of his former youth group members who is now a successful college student asked to borrow his truck so he could go pick up a sofa in another state...he, of course, said yes. No problem you think, he was being a nice guy. Well, let me first continue...

So, this meant an exchange of vehicles. No problem, right? Hold that thought.

So, the hubster arrives home VERY late Thursday night/Friday morning due to a youth group activity. I ask him how the car was that he drove home and he said "fine, it is a Honda Civic". Okay, no problem, I LOVE Hondas and might enjoy a spin in it over the weekend that we have it.

Well, as I prepare for work Friday morning, D suggests that I take the Honda so that he can take the kids around running errands on Friday (he has Fridays off work). I think, okay, not a problem.

He goes outside with me and my jaw drops a bit, the silver racing stripes left me standing still, blinking as if to shake this reality. You mean I have to drive this to work...the place where people drive BMWs and Porsches and all kinds of nice and varied cars, none of which include a double racing stripe and NO hubcaps. I gave the death stare to the hubster and proceed on to my fate.

To make it initially worse, it did not have a holder for my coffee travel mug and it was a 5-speed. I have not driven a 5-speed for about 10 years.

Well, I should have known that it could get a bit worse, including the LOUD muffler, I later learned that it was SUPPOSED to b.e that way. Good Lord, don't these kids know that there are STARVING people in the world and that they should not waste their money on such silly things that if I had extra expendible money I would have taken to the mechanics and had fixed for him to be kind - that would not have gone over well, would it...

Well, fortunately for my ego, I was running really late, so when I roared into the parking garage, there was not a sole around to see me. I KNOW I sound like a vain bitty, and perhaps to some extent I have become one, but in all fairness, I used to drive a LOUD, smoke-puffing Chevy Berlinetta and then MOVED UP to a Honda CRX. This baby was so small it looked like a match box car, but I loved that car and proudly drove it for about 6 years, all the way through college and slightly beyond and even managed to sell if for $1500.00 after that time. So, I really have been there and can appreciate that it is great for this young man...but I found that my reality has become a bit vain.

Now, to the good part. I had released some vanity and frustration with the situation as I left work (again unnoticed) and went to fill it up with gas, as it was dangerously low. All day at work I envisioned just how mad I would be standing next to it on a busy intersection near work as it had run out of gas...fortunately it was just a dream. This bad boy held exactly $17.89. WOO HOO! After filling the mom-mobile for over a year now (formerly drove a Honda Accord before child #3 entered the scene), this was a welcome relief. On the way home, I even discovered that it had a sun roof - ROCK ON!

I drove home with a self realization that

1) I am vain and a bit proud
2) I am getting old
3) I need to be reminded of how far I have come since my younger days, every GREAT once in a while
4) I do love D for putting in situations of humility

The loud little beast (oh yes, it has over 200,000 miles on it!) has rested in our driveway untouched since Friday and hopefully will be reclaimed by it's rightful college man owner tomorrow!

I realllly do have it This Good...

CC