Have you heard the news? Bad things come in twos. But I never knew 'bout the little things. Every single day, things get in my way. Someone has to pay for the little things.
--excerpt from "The Little Things" by Danny Elfman
Ignore for a moment that this song was written about revenge. The words by themselves are actually pretty accurate. Bad things do seem to come in pairs (or triads), and you're somewhat prepared for those, or at least the possibility of them. But no one ever talks about the little things that go along with being an adult - all those tiny things that you have to keep track of or they grow to be huge issues that throw you off. And then someone has to pay the piper.
I had one of those this week.
I typically keep my car in the garage in the winter. I don't use it as much, but when I do need it, I don't want to deal with the ice and unpleasantness that colder temperatures bring. And the garage is pretty dark. And when I do leave, I'm pretty much looking behind me to make sure I don't run over anything. So I don't really look at the garage floor to see if the car is leaking anything important. Oil, for example.
It wasn't until I was parked overnight in the drive of the house where I'm cat-sitting (Bonnie is adorable, by the way) that the neighbor (who happens to work at OMS) called me up and said, "There's something leaking from your car. You should get it checked out."
And, sure enough, both oil and water had been leaking from my car. So I take it to the garage, and there I am informed that I need a new oil gasket and water pump.
Not what I was expecting. Not what I needed. Just another little thing that turned into me spending $$$ I don't have.
Now, it's unhealthy to dwell on Little Things. Dwelling leads to the dark places, and I have enough pathways to those already without creating new ones. So, I try to find the good parts of the little things. For example:
--excerpt from "The Little Things" by Danny Elfman
Ignore for a moment that this song was written about revenge. The words by themselves are actually pretty accurate. Bad things do seem to come in pairs (or triads), and you're somewhat prepared for those, or at least the possibility of them. But no one ever talks about the little things that go along with being an adult - all those tiny things that you have to keep track of or they grow to be huge issues that throw you off. And then someone has to pay the piper.
I had one of those this week.
I typically keep my car in the garage in the winter. I don't use it as much, but when I do need it, I don't want to deal with the ice and unpleasantness that colder temperatures bring. And the garage is pretty dark. And when I do leave, I'm pretty much looking behind me to make sure I don't run over anything. So I don't really look at the garage floor to see if the car is leaking anything important. Oil, for example.
It wasn't until I was parked overnight in the drive of the house where I'm cat-sitting (Bonnie is adorable, by the way) that the neighbor (who happens to work at OMS) called me up and said, "There's something leaking from your car. You should get it checked out."
And, sure enough, both oil and water had been leaking from my car. So I take it to the garage, and there I am informed that I need a new oil gasket and water pump.
Not what I was expecting. Not what I needed. Just another little thing that turned into me spending $$$ I don't have.
Now, it's unhealthy to dwell on Little Things. Dwelling leads to the dark places, and I have enough pathways to those already without creating new ones. So, I try to find the good parts of the little things. For example:
- The problem was noticed and corrected before it damaged the engine.
- I was not without transportation for a significant period of time.
- My tax refund will cover the cost of the repairs.
- The world has not ended.
So no matter how irksome the little things get, it's important to remember that they do not need to define our attitude or actions.
But they are still annoying.
Sounds like I'm not the only one who gave herself a pep talk today. Mine was along the lines of "Don't be a wimp. You've survived worse and complaining won't make it better." And yes, it is the little things. Like realizing your car registration is due this month. And cover letters (though I'm not convinced they qualify as a little thing).
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