Luck

I have heard it said by other people, "If I didn't have bad luck, I would have no luck at all". Well that pretty much sums up most of my life. I mean, I have some great things in my life; a woman that I adore, and love, kids that I couldn't live without, friends that keep me sane, and good health to enjoy everything. However, day to day, things happen that keep me from feeling I am on top of the world... Maybe that's by design so I don't get a swelled head... Thanks God for keeping me in line! :-) Seriously though let me give you a brief run down of the last few weeks. Before you read this, let me tell you that this is a average week for me, some times things are worse, other times they are better. BTW: Most of my bad luck seems to follow directly after some good luck. I got my income tax refund recently, but due to a screw up on 2002 taxes (I claimed the same kids as my Ex), I have to repay around $1,300.00 to Uncle Sam. I found (actually my girlfriend did) a great new apartment for me that has much more room, and a garage for about the same monthly expenses as my current place. However, it doesn't have any appliances. So with the new appliances, and the deposit for the place, the rest of the income tax is now gone. I had wanted to get a bigger TV for my living room, not a 60" or anything, just a nice 30"... Oh well, maybe next year I started to move, and my new car (2002 Ford Focus wagon), started making this horrendous noise. This noise seemed to come from everywhere, and only when the car was moving. The noise sounded like a really bad ass set of studded winter tires, and since I had just got new tires I had thought the sound was them... That was until it got louder and louder... I took the car to my dealership, since the car is still new and under warrenty... They don't service that car even though I bought it from them with an exented warrenty on top of it... So they sent my car out, and gave me a rental for free. Now I have no car to move into my new apt. with. Sigh... After a week my car is finally fixed. It had a bad wheel bearing, and it took 7 days to repair it. Great warrenty huh? The dealership called me at 5:20PM to pick up my car and return the rental. They close at 6:00PM. I head the the dealership and when I am almost there (I can see the place) a pickup truck stops abruptly in front of me. I stop quickly also, and immediately look in my rearview mirror to see if anyone is coming up behind me... Well there was... It was another pickup truck, however he didn't seem to notice that we had stopped in front of him, so he didn't slow down (or so that I could tell), so he plowed into the back of the rental car which is within feet of being returned. The rental, and I, were pushed into the pickup in front of us, and so on until there were a total of five (5) vehicles collided together.

The good news is no one was seriously hurt, and I escaped with only bruised ribs from the seat belt, which I am glad I was wearing. I also got my car back, and the insurance of the person who hit the rental is paying for the rental car. Is that good or bad luck? You decided. And to top of this last week, I have misplaced (lost) my PDA. I had a Compaq iPaq H3870 PocketPC that I used all the time, and I took everywhere with me... Including to the laundry, which is where I think I left it. After multiple calls there, and a visit there, it's still missing. I have checked both apartments (remember I am moving), and I can't find it. So there goes not only the money I spent on the PDA, but a piece of my life that I use all the time. I have the money to replace it, but there goes my TV again! Good or bad luck? This past weekend, the car I just got out of the shop has now got the "Check Engine" light lit on the dashboard. I called the dealership and they said to bring it in, but it will take a few days because they have to "send it out" again... Which means a rental, and who knows what else? Needless to say I am a little afraid of taking my car in again... Wouldn't you? So I look back and see that I have recovered well from most of the bad things in life recently, but if I didn't have those bad things, I can't help but think of how much nicer my life would be now. I would have much more money in the bank, I wouldn't have sore ribs, and I wouldn't have the worry about whether my new car is going to breakdown, I would be completely moved into my new apartment, and maybe I would be happier at work! Nah! That would really be pushing it! :-)