It’s getting harder to find time to do the things I used to
be able to do like write, go to the gym, and sleep. I have sacrificed all of
these things for my existence in the middle of nowhere, because life evolves
and changes into something else when you start doing things for other people
instead of yourself. My goal is to always be selfless, but sometimes I can bend
the truth a little to get the things that I want.
For instance…
I recently purchased a minivan. Now, I’ve been on the fence
for a while on what to do with my old car because it was either time to put in
a couple thousand in repairs, or trade it in for something with a bit less
mileage. I decided on the latter because of two things: 1. Getting a
three-year-old into the back seat of a Mini and buckled up properly is the
worst thing. 2. I needed something better at dealing with over six inches of
snow on the road.
So, I made a choice. I got something I wanted, and I got something that was good for the family. We went to a dealership in Lakeville
where a friend of mine from the rooms of A.A. works, and we looked at cars.
Well, vans.
Six months ago, when we started looking at houses, we ended
up making an offer on the second house we looked at. The same was true in the
parking lot. We looked in and around at a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT, and we
drove it around. We loved it, and we made an offer. The offer of course was
listed already on the price tag, but we did end up getting a better deal by
about $1,000 off the listed price, plus my trade-in, plus some cash down. It’s
still a huge investment, but it was needed, and now we can drive as a family in
comfort.
It is a flex-fuel vehicle which means that I can use E-85 or
gasoline, whichever I choose. So far, I have noticed that M.P.G.s are slightly
lower with E-85, but in town, the difference in price per gallon is about a
dollar, so do the math. I won’t. I wouldn’t know how to do the math. I’m good
with letter’s, not number’s. I should clarify immediately that I made those
punctuation errors on purpose. I thought it was funny. Enough about the car.
A lot is happening this week. I turn 39 for the second year
in a row, and our bathroom gets a professional makeover with a new tub and
shower. I have shared a picture or two of the old tub, and it is necessary to
remove it and have everything under and behind it re-plumbed before a new one
can be installed. I’m not willing or able to do any of that. It will, however,
motivate me to remove the rest of the ancient pink tile on the other side of
the bathroom and put up drywall, or sheetrock, I still don’t know the
difference. Eventually, when we can afford it, we will put in a new sink to
complete the remodel. Anything will look better than it does now, and this will
certainly boost the value of our home.
Oh, I’m turning 40 on Wednesday. I just wanted to get that
out there before anybody else does. Honestly, for what I’ve put myself through
over the years, I can’t believe I don’t feel older than I do. I can attribute
everything to exercise. It’s the only good thing I’ve ever done to my body, and
it seems to be paying off. I don’t have any aches or pains; I can still get
less than eight hours of sleep every night without being groggy in the morning,
and I’m not out of breath when I perform simple tasks like walking up stairs. I
see a few people similar in age struggling with these same simple motions, and
I’m glad I’m not there.
That’s all I’ve got for now. I’m still going to my meeting
weekly in town, and I am able to get to my old meeting in Delano about every
other week which I love. I still get to my first home group in St. Paul about
once a month, and I recently was asked to be a sponsor again. Life is good, and
it’s all because I constantly work at it from so many angles. I am exactly
where I want to be in most areas, and I’m actively doing things to move forward
in the stagnant ones. More on that hopefully soon.
