Working for a school district definitely has its perks, one of which is paid summer vacations - something that I have been taking full advantage of this season. In preparation for an exciting week, Monday was spent cleaning the house, doing several loads of laundry, taking out the garbage, recycling, and compost, and finishing any yard work that was still lingering, so that the rest of the week could be spent adventuring in the sunshine, stress-free.
Tuesday set it off when two of my best girlfriends joined me at one of my favorite local beaches, for a day spent sunbathing and sipping on delicious beverages.
Then Wednesday came.
The first half of the day was spent at my best friend's-boyfriend's-grandma's-lake-house in Allyn, Washington. We spent the day laying in the sun, floating and swimming in the cool and refreshing lake water, and of course, enjoyed some more delicious beverages. The plan was to come home by 7:00 PM, where I would be met by my husband and we would set off on a two-hour drive to Wesport, Washington.
The company my husband works for rents a house out of Westport that they use to house employees and volunteers working on projects in Grays Harbor. My husband wasn't working there this week, but had a couple days of office work to complete, and thought we could take advantage of the open room at the house. He would put his eight hours in (I would lounge around reading books and what-have-you) and then we would head down to the beach and go surfing.
Well, things didn't exactly go as planned.
First, Aaron didn't make it home until nearly 8:00 PM. He had carpooled to his work-site with a co-worker, leaving his work vehicle at the gas station he always parks at when carpooling, only to find that it had been towed! Not to mention that he had been up at 4:00 AM and had been working for 15 hours when he was met by this less than convenient situation. After nearly an hour he was reunited with his vehicle and grumpily made his way home.
Our bags were packed, the surfboards were on top of the car, and after a quick shower Aaron's frustrations from his workday were beginning to subside. Besides, we were on our way to the ocean to go surfing on a weekday! It doesn't get much better than that. We stopped to get some food, filled our bellies and merged onto the freeway, destination: bliss.
By this point it was past 9:00 PM, and we had only made it about forty minutes from home (if that) when the "check engine" light went on in the car we just purchased only four days prior. Before we could even let the frustration of the "check engine" light sink in, the worst possible thing (for Aaron) happened. The straps which were securing our surfboards to the roof of the car both came un-done, resulting in Aaron's surfboard detaching itself from the top of our car and thrashing into the not-so-forgiving pavement.
At this point, several motorists must have reported the "surfboard in the middle of the freeway" because shortly after we had frantically pulled over hoping to retrieve whatever was left of Aaron's prized board, we were met by the lights and sirens of a police car. The police officer was kind enough not to ticket us for losing our load, and Aaron retrieved his now shattered surfboard.
I was grateful that my board managed to adhere itself to the top of the car, but would have happily let mine take the fall (literally) if it could have spared Aaron's all-time-favorite-board-of-all-time-EVER!
Needless to say, we didn't make it to Westport. Rather, we shoved the boards inside the car, and defeatedly headed back home, where we silently crawled into bed, not mentioning the events of our evening, and fell silently into an agitated sleep.
The next morning (which is actually today, about 6 hours prior to my writing this), we rolled out of bed and called up our favorite local auto-shop, Graff's Automotive. They said they could scan the "check engine" message to discern why the light went on. Apparently the light was referencing the catalytic converter, a several hundred dollar fix that would need to be taken care of before the car could pass emissions.
Unsatisfied with the result of the scan and frustrated that our "new" car was already breaking, I decided to do a little research before grumpily calling up the salesman we purchased the car from and demanding he pay for the repair or face my wrath, which consists mostly of angry customer reviews on every Yelp! Angie's List and user review type website on the internet (there is also what are called "implied warranties" that car salesmen who do not offer warranties have to oblige by if something major goes wrong with a vehicle shortly after it is purchased.)
After a bit of research I learned that one of the most common "check engine" light reads on Subaru's manufactured after 2000 (ours is a 2002) is in regard to the catalytic converter. The sensor on these 2000 and later Subaru's is extra sensitive, so even if the light does go on, it doesn't necessarily mean the converter needs to be replaced.
Feeling slightly relieved about the car, I was then able to focus my attention to the surfboard and my devastated husband. Knowing that someone you love has lost something dear to them is never easy. Aaron's surfboard wasn't just an object, it was a custom-made, perfectly sized Stewart Surfboard. It was his key to mind-melting euphoria - his catalyst to oceanic one-ness. And now it was a chewed up, cracked down-the-middle piece of fiberglass. My mother says that everything is on its way to somewhere else. While I think that there is so much truth and peace to be found in that saying, I'm not sure Aaron's ready to hear it. Instead, I will let him bring up the surfboard when he is ready, and supportively make him sandwiches and offer him kisses, back-rubs, and the occasional beer, in the meantime.
The pro to all of this? Being reminded that no matter how frustrating a situation is, no matter how many cars break-down, how many surfboards snap in half, it is the love, magic, and adventure that we live by that makes our lives truly rich (something that only our spirits can break.) So, I raise my glass to those who never let the inconveniences of life hold you back, the ones who pull themselves up by their bootstraps when the going gets tough, and the ones who keep on truckin'.
xo.
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