Gratitude journal - Day 16

So, today, I am grateful for two things: a dead car battery in the parking lot of Giant and our king sized bed. Strange, huh? Why would I pick these two things when there are so many other things to be grateful for? Well, here's the story of my evening yesterday:

It was a great day. I had a great meeting at work and I drove towards home with a smile on my face. I stopped at Giant (grocery store) to pick up some milk for Meg and a loaf of bread. Normal day,eh? Well, when I came out, my car wouldn't start. The electrical system did some funny stuff and then nothing. I knew immediately it was the battery or the starter (from MANY issues with the Diesel stationwagon my parents owned). Now, you might say that this isn't a reason to be grateful but I truly am... Why? Because:
1. It died in a parking lot. A well-lit, not on the side of the freeway, parking lot. A parking lot that conveniently contained a car repair place within a 2 minute walk.
2. Merchant Tire and Auto was that car repair place. These guys are awesome. The technician actually drove me back to my car (he had just gotten off work), tried to jump it with the jumper cables in his trunk and when that didn't work, he went back to work and got the jumper box (much more powerful). He returned and then stayed over at work to replace my battery.
3. My battery was not just dead, it was on the verge of exploding. Every side of it was bulging from an internal leak. The technician didn't think it would have survived another month and when it went, the battery would have exploded. Now, if I was parked, no big deal. The battery fluid would leak all over the ground and the car wouldn't start. BUT, if I was driving, the battery acid would have hit a hot engine, potentially causing my engine to start on fire. It would be worse because the battery on my Crap-in-a-Box (my personal nickname for the Equinox I own) is not located on the top of my engine like most cars. It's actually under the fuse box, in the middle of the engine. Very hard to get to and impossible to see. (which is why I couldn't tell if it was dead) I shudder when I think of myself driving home with the girls and having my engine catch on fire. Yikes!

So, I am very grateful my car died in the Giant parking lot.

While that might be enough for most people to be grateful in one day, I am also grateful for my king sized bed. Why? Because when the furnace goes out - which it did last night for the 4th time in about a year - there is enough room for Steve, Annde, Meghan, and I to cuddle/huddle together under the blankets and keep warm until the next day when we can get a repair person out. While there is always some kicking/twisting and random walking up by the kiddos, I can honestly say that I at least got 4 hours of sleep and for that, I am super grateful!

Whew! Bad evening to say the least... but today is a new day and I know that I will find something new to be grateful for today. Hopefully, it won't be because of something bad happening!