Thursday, April 2, 2009

The Healing Power of the Car Wash


I had to have my son at school early this morning for a field trip. It was dark, I had no caffeine in my body and I never saw the large dead animal in the road. My son swears I ran over a mongoose. My daughter says it was a werewolf. I'm going with previously killed cat. All the same, it's such a gross feeling running over a dead animal. I'm certain that running over a live animal would be much worse, however. I will head to the car wash later today to remove the werewolf parts from the underside of my car. The car wash is therapy for me. It's a place of healing and wellness. It really has nothing to do with cleaning my car. For $7 I can pull forward into my own special place where the cares of my world will be washed away. I put on some Van Morrison, pop a soda top, and sit back and relax as bluish green oozy bubbles cover my car and wash away what ails me. For an extra dollar I can can get a crystal clear top coat that should protect me from all the evils of the world - like werewolves and mongooses (mongeese?). It's cheaper than a therapist and no appointments are needed. When the world becomes overwhelming, my family knows where to find me.... in stall #1 selecting my options.

For the last two weeks I've been fighting a headache and nothing has cured it. I've tried pressure points and soothing thoughts to no avail. I am forced to call the doctor for some type of pill to relieve the pressure. I planned on a relaxing weekend letting my head heal and having some "me time" until my daughter announced last night at bedtime that she wanted to be in a Beauty Pageant...  IN TWO DAYS! Nothing like last minute decisions. Unfortunately, I do not have the skills needed to do big hair, but I do have a good understanding of outsourcing.  By 10:00 p.m. I had secured a dress, a make-up artist, and a hair dresser.  Thank God for beautiful nieces who pity me for my lack of girly genes.  We have evening wear, sports wear, and I'm scouting out a make-shift cat costume with rhinestones and other sparkly things we can put together for a quick talent act. I'm taking head shots with my cell phone and blue-toothing them to my printer. I figure by noon on Saturday, I'll be sitting in a darkened auditorium in a post narcotic haze watching leaping cats and tap dancing wonders blurr across the stage. By Sunday I'll be back in the car wash as friends drive by commenting about how often I clean my car. Little do they know....

Early Retirement and the Great Resignation

        At the age of 57, I stared at my 35 year career, whispered a polite thank you to the heavens and hit the send button on my retiremen...