Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Luck, Thanksgiving, and a Mouse In the House

It's been six months of seemingly unabated bad luck. The HVAC unit needed replaced, followed by the water heater, dishwasher, radon fan, and water heater. The giant spring on the garage door broke in half, leaving the cars stuck inside the garage for a day and a half. And now I've got an unwanted squatter - a mouse, or possibly mice - in residence, just in time for the holidays. The Pest Man Cometh today sometime, at which point I'll find out whether I'm running a one-night rodent hotel or a brothel.

Happy Thanksgiving.

I went through my usual litany of how lucky I am to have a house that needs repair since some don't have a roof over their heads. Lucky to have things like dishwashers and water heaters. Lucky to have a car even if I can't get it out of the garage. Lucky to have friends and family to share the holidays with.

All true, but sometimes you gotta just scream about the little things. Mr. or Mrs. Mouse got a loud, long cursing out, including some brand-new combinations of very old terms. The garage door received a sound kick. The rest of the household appliances have been put on warning - they all saw what happened to the toaster which slung its final piece of toast on the floor a few weeks ago.

I must say, I felt a little better for a few minutes. Then I felt vaguely ashamed. It didn't solve anything, as it has yet to be proven that appliances and rodents understand/respond to human language. But what determines who's house will appeal to wildlife, which neighborhood will be leveled by a tornado, which toaster out of 1000 will develop a pitcher's throwing arm, which of 50 applicants will get the job which they are all qualified for and all so desperately need?

Luck, I guess.

Just as it was luck the other day that saved my life. Lucky that the BF walked over to a park bench to tie his shoelace, else we would have been standing next to the light pole that was completely sheared off at its base by an out-of-control car. Lucky that the light pole was there, else she might have hit us both anyway. Lucky that the pole fell into the street, which was empty of cars, instead of on us or someone else. Lucky that the fluid surrounding the wrecked car was only antifreeze and water, not gasoline. Lucky that the car ended up 20+ feet away from the fallen wires.

Lucky that no one, including the occupant, was killed or severely injured.

I suppose we all struggle with the question of why some things happen as they do, why bad things happen to good people, why one survives and another does not. Whether one consults science, faith, stars, or chicken innards, there don't ever seem to be any solid answers. I wish I had one for you, but I don't.

I do know that I'm not as thankful as I should be for what I have. Especially since the victims of Sandy are still struggling with complete devastation in many areas. I simply cannot imagine how they many of them are coping, and my heart breaks for them.

This Thanksgiving will be a quiet and reflective one, shared with those I love. To all of my readers, wherever you are, whether you are celebrating a holiday or going about your life: please drive a little more carefully, love your family and friends a little bit more, give what you can spare to those in need, take a moment or two and give thanks for what you have......

Happy Thanksgiving!







 

13 comments:

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    1. If you asked my elderly neighbor how he was, he'd always reply "Well, at least I'm still vertical..." :-)

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  2. Chicken innards... definitely do not consult with them. They only tell lies.
    Happy Thanksgiving to you too!

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    1. Maybe they only lie because they know they're destined for gravy anyway...

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  3. If you had no luck, you'd be dead, right?
    Hope the pest guy gets your mouse.

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. I haven't heard any scratching for hours. I think it saw the exterminator truck pull up and he's either left or is lying low for a bit.
      (I think I spelled exterminator correctly this time.)

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  4. Hey Li,

    Just wanted to stop by to say thanks for signing up for the Cheers, Cavanaugh BlogFest, or what we are now nicknaming “AlexFest.”

    Looking forward to reading your entry and have a *safe* and Happy Thanksgiving :)

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    1. Hi Mark :-) Thanks for dropping by. Looking forward to meeting new people via the blogfest! Happy Thanksgiving to you too!

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  5. I'm thankful for you too!Happy Thanksgiving. Accidents and traumatic events do seem surreal - fast, yet slo-mo, and I always think "They'll avoid it/that won't happen at the last minute" and then they don't...

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  6. That sounds like a nerve-wracking experience.

    I hope your Thanksgiving was relatively uneventful!

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  7. I can certainly relate here as the heating is out and convection heaters aren't really doing it, altho it will probably cost thousands to replace the unit. ick.

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  8. Best regards from France...
    Enjoy your day !

    Pierre

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