It Just Keeps Raining

Last week our car had to have the radiator replaced.  Our son went to pick up our daughter at dance and called and said steam was coming out of the hood when he parked it.  So at 9 p.m., we jumped in the car with a gallon of antifreeze and after a trip to a service station for yet ANOTHER gallon, we were able to drive the car home.

We picked up our car yesterday and it is running great.  That is until last night when again my son was going to pick up my daughter from dance.  This time he noticed the front light flashed brightly and then dimmed.  Thank God that happened in the driveway.  It was 9:30 p.m. and technically he shouldn't be driving past 9 p.m. but I cannot describe how much I hate going to pick her up in the winter that late at night.  I am not a late night girl.  He just took the other car, no big deal.

We then went to turn on the tv.  No picture.  We've got sound but no picture.  So we googled it and every piece of information we found said the same thing; after about five years they die.  If I had known that when we bought the tv, I'm not sure how willingly I would have gone into it.  I don't do electronics.  That is my husband's domain.  He chooses the computers, phones, tv's, etc.  That is his "thing."  Honestly, I could care less about the tv.  I don't think I'd miss it if we didn't replace it.

Earlier in the night my husband tried to open my daughter's window and broke all of the clips off that allow the window to tilt.  I'm still not sure why he was opening the window in the middle of February.  Luckily, he had some extra clips in the basement so that wasn't a big problem either.

Usually when these little tragedies occur, I get anxious.  I know my husband is going to flip and I have a horrible feeling inside waiting for the blow up that is sure to occur.  Last night, I couldn't care less.  I think I am gaining back my independence.  I am all done allowing my emotions to be tied to his.  If he chooses to handle every problem like a lunatic, that is his choice.  I accept that the more "stuff" we have, the more chance we have of it breaking.  Technology is a wonderful thing in so many ways but at the same time it is non-stop maintenance.

I think about my parents' lives all of the time.  There was no huge cable bill.  No cell phone bill.  No $800 tv.  No online bills.  When they bought a car it was meant to last, not break down the minute it was paid off.  Tires were made to last for years, not a few thousand miles.  The cars didn't have all of the electronic "gadgets" that are constantly breaking.  Our bills are huge compared to what they had.  I'm sure if I shared with my mom our basic "operating" bills every month she would be appalled.

Life is so much more complicated now.  I often feel I was born in the wrong era or maybe it's that I'm still tied to another life in another time.  I am such a simple person.  I like the most basic lifestyle.  Granted, I'm addicted to Facebook and Pinterest but only because I have them.  I'm confident if I no longer had access to them I would just start reading incessantly which is what I did before them.

I miss my childhood when we played outside all day until dinner.  After dinner it was a few family shows on our 13 channels and then bed.  We all watched the same shows together and we all could appreciate them.  I think about my kids' futures and how isolated and dependent on technology they are going to be.  For them it just IS.  They could literally not have any life outside of their virtual one and never think twice about it.  I'm sad for them.  I'm sad that they will not know the slowness of life.  I'm sad they will not have a minute of their adulthood without stimulation.  They are so used to constantly having access to everyone and everything at the touch of a button.  Progress is a wonderful thing but wouldn't it be nice to get ahead for a minute and stay there without something breaking and sucking yet another dollar out of the budget?