The Silver Linings of Friday the 13th

I had originally started this as a Facebook status post, but then realised, it was way too long. So hello again, blog. 

In the every cloud has a silver lining file for Friday 13 February 2015:

1. My car, after starting on the first try this morning after being out in -30C weather overnight, did not start again on the second try. After walking to Canadian Tire in the cold (a 2km walk) to buy a portable charger, I brought it home only to find the charger was defective. Luckily my neighbour was coming home from his night shift and had jumper cables, and got my car started so I could drive back to Canadian Tire and exchange the $50 portable charger for $20 booster cables;

2. Because I now had a boost, I was able to drive over an hour to get to the cemetery to visit my late husband's grave and spend a bit of this weekend with him, which was the objective of the day. I left the car running, and didn't spend as long as I would have liked but long enough to not linger;

3. I had booked the car in for an oil change with the dealership because they had a wicked coupon offer. At the dealership, the car battery lost its charge (probably from the amount of times they need to turn a car over during an oil change), and boosted the car. Luckily my real mechanic is only a 3 min drive away from the dealership. I pull in the car, he says he can change the battery for me with only a $20 surcharge above the battery cost.

4. I have a 2007 Saturn Vue V6 with a Honda engine. Because of this, everything is not where nor what it should be when people look at my GM-built car. Because it's a Honda engine inside of a GM vehicle, the battery is a custom size, and he didn't have any in stock. He is making his dude rush a battery to him tomorrow, still charging me the same price, and coming in on the weekend (he doesn't normally work Saturdays, and it's a long weekend) to set me up.

5. My son's favourite teacher at daycare is leaving. Today was his last day. My son woke up crying this morning because he was so sad. Then I made him walk in the cold to daycare. I was expecting full meltdowns all day but instead, he was as good as gold, and the last thing he said to his teacher was "The daycare will never be the same without you."

6. After we get home, the garage door decides to malfunction. We unplugged the opener and have manually closed the door.

So, what are these silver linings, because really, this sounds like a miserable day. And yes, it was. Everything that could go wrong, did. I have no cash left until I get paid again. I didn’t eat breakfast until we took my son to dinner at McDonald’s.

Here are the silver linings:

•  My car stalled out at home and at the dealership. Had I just driven off this morning when it first started, it probably would have stalled at the cemetery, which, if you don’t know, is in the middle of nowhere in Vaughan and 90 minutes from anyone I know with booster cables;
• I got $30 back from Canadian Tire; 
• It was sunny and cold; not blistery, wintry, and treacherous;
• My mechanic could have totally hosed me for a new battery; instead, he checked with 5 suppliers, and even tried to fit a generic battery inside the car so I could be up and moving. He could have also rushed the order and it would have cost me an extra $100 plus taxes (because I’m using debit); instead, he has the guy delivering on a Saturday, which is a normal business day for the supplier and thus no extra charges. And even if the battery doesn’t come in tomorrow, it’s the weekend, and Valentine's Day, and as a single person, I’m not going anywhere I don’t have to go;
• My son had every right to be angry and upset with the world. Instead, he chose to leave his teacher and himself with good memories. And at the end of the day spoke his heart, which he does on occasion, and always during a grand and/or special one;
• My garage door works better off the stupid opener than it ever did using that thing. Sure, the wind is going to blow it open now, but hey, didn’t we all live with that in the 70s before they made these stupid electric openers? Plus, electricity savings. Just like when I stopped using my dishwasher;
• I got to do the one thing I had to do today, no matter what factors there were that seemed to want to prevent me from going, and that one thing took place without grand incident; and
• I am able to sit in my house on a day like today and vent about all of this knowing that my son is well-fed, warm, and safe.

-       So yeah, there are fucked up days where the world is neither Yin nor Yang. The choices are: let the mess bury you and bring you down, trample you and take your life away; or while the mess continues to fall, keep digging up towards the light, even with bloody, scraped fingers losing their nails and specks of metal flying into your eyes. Because if you look for the light, you will see it. And no situation, good, bad, happy, sad, despondent or euphoric, is ever permanent.