My Boat is Full of Holes

She was once a proud and noble vessel. Unfortunately, she was underway and out to sea for too long without proper maintenance. Before we realized it, we were in dangerous waters and had been overtaken by pirates. Our new “captain” pulled every bit of loot he could from our vessel and then scuttled it unexpectedly.

I found myself adrift in a cold, uncaring sea. Voices could be heard from others from the ship calling out and even occasional sounds of happiness as some seemed to be able to help others out of the danger. I struggled and floundered with the cold water and had trouble keeping my head above water.

I had already been unable to keep air in my lungs and had sunk below the surface a few times before finding the strength to kick and stroke and force myself back to the life-giving oxygen above.

It took what felt like an eternity, but I finally saw what appeared to be a life raft coming into view just ahead of me. Desperately I pushed forward hoping that I could find refuge there. Surely, the people there would come to my rescue if I could just get their attention in some way.

I yelled as loudly as I could. It worked! They heard me, and a few of them even acknowledged my plight. My rescue was imminent, and I was going to be ok.

My newfound saviors embraced me and welcomed aboard with open arms. Everything was going to be fine. I was going to make it after all. I could now begin to relax and allow myself to live life back in a state of calm again.

After only a very short time with my new crew, our vessel began to take on water. I was panicked. I had only just gotten here and begun to feel accepted among my new liberators. Everyone seemed to react in different ways. A few of them jumped overboard, choosing to take their chances with the treachery of the ocean rather than risk being pulled down with the rip current from the sinking ship, as had happened to me on my last craft.

To my horror, I found that some of this new crew were drilling holes in our hull! When confronted, they said that they were trying to “Let the water out.” Did they not see how their actions were making the situation exponentially more dangerous to our survival?

Now, here I sit. In this new boat that seems to be sinking, albeit, more slowly than my last. What do I do? How do I survive? Do I follow the lead of others and jump overboard in hopes of finding another rescuer? I feel so lost.

Why is Family the Way They Are?

Oh boy, today has been terrible.

Inhale

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Exhale

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Feel better? I do. Now maybe I can tell you my story. I woke up this morning with a nearly six-hour drive daring me to try to conquer it. Despite the large portion of my life that I’ve spent behind the wheel; I do not look forward to days like this.

Pliny the Elder, as you may recall, is in the middle of her run with the latest play. She has been doing very well and has received many compliments. She impressed me thoroughly with how far she has come in such a short time. Today my mother was planning on attending the show. Pliny was very excited that her step-grandma would be in attendance.

At this point, I am now traveling down the interstate through a major metropolitan area when my phone starts pinging with alerts. My mother and my wife are both texting me about the cost of the tickets for Pliny’s show. My mom had reserved a ticket in advance for herself, but decided to bring her step-great-grandchild with her at the last minute. She was annoyed by the fact that a children’s ticket at the door was $15.

That is all the detail we will go into here, but let’s just say that some things were said via text that got me fairly hot under the collar. When I was about 20 minutes out from my destination, I decided to stop for fuel and to pick up some drinks and snacks. I got out of my vehicle at the gas station and threw away some trash from the car and filled it up.

I drove on down the road to a grocery store to get the drinks and snacks, thinking that it would be more cost-effective that way. Furthermore, I went into the store and got everything I wanted, loaded it into the cart, and went up to pay. As I go to the checkout, I reached for my wallet, and it was not to be found. PANIC!

How was I going to get through the week with no ID, no cash, and no credit cards? Where had my wallet gone? When did I last have it? I know I had it at the gas station because I paid for the fuel. Did I drop it in the car? Did it fall out in the parking lot or as I was walking through the store? I sprinted around the store and into the parking lot, searching for my wallet.

Not here.

It had to be at the gas station. There was nowhere else it could have gone. Please let it be at the gas station. I jumped in the car and raced back down to the station. I looked in the parking lot near the pump I used. Not there. I searched around the entire lot. Nope. I went in and asked if anyone had turned it in. No luck.

I started walking back out to the van. My heart in my stomach. How was I going to get through this week? I had no other choice but to keep going on down to my ultimate destination.

Wait.

I cleaned out my car. Surely, I wouldn’t have… I’ve done less intelligent things. Might as well make sure I didn’t throw my wallet in the—Right there on top of the drive-thru bag laid my wallet in the trash can.

I had been so distracted by all this petty nonsense that I did something this bone-headed.

Please take a lesson from my mistake. When things are getting to you, take a moment. Take a few deep breaths. Let go of your negative emotions. Try not to rush into things. Take your time and ground yourself back into the present. You may just prevent yourself from throwing your wallet in the trash!