Monday, Monday

so good to me....

Usually Mondays are great days.  I love the start of the work week.  I feel energized, confident, rested, and ready to tackle that to do list.  It's almost like a "New Years Day" for this mom.  And so, today, I take Madeline to preschool and plan on about an hours worth of errands afterwards- Sara in tow. 

I drop off Madeline and put Sara back in the car.  As I close the door, I notice my left front tire looks a little low.  Creeping up to it, I decide yes, it is low, and I will probably crash on Northshore if I go over 20 miles an hour. 

Maybe not.  But it is low because you should be able to see the tread on the bottom.  I also know that everytime I try to put air in my tires I deflate them further.  At least that's what happened 6 years ago on my last attempt.

So, I call Jeff, who meets me on a white steed; roses in hand for my attention to detail. 

Hee, hee.

I call Jeff and after a few minutes discussion, he agrees to meet me at Weigel's to fill up my tires.  He also added "show Ashley how to fill up tires" to his "Honey come on!" list.  But I was vindicated.  My tires were low and apparently had a nail in them.  I then drive to the garage and they tell me it will be about 30-40 minutes to have it fixed. 

My original Monday plan is shaky but still salvageable.  My errands included going by my mom's to pick up some Asheville Farmers' Market bounty and she had left the door unlocked for me.  Unlocked doors stress me out, so I texted her to say that if she's robbed between now and 30 minutes; I have a really good reason why I wasn't there.  And that I would buy her a retina scanner to unlock her house from now on. 

As I wait on the car, Sara is waving and charming all of the customers, employees, and even the dog mascot.  We're laughing, giggling, and rolling on with life.  I think, "aren't I lucky to live in such a great place, so convenient and so helpful?"  And then I realize Sara is wet, as in really wet, as in change my pants wet.  I have no diaper, no change of clothes, nothing.  I usually  have a quick change bag in the car, but I had just stripped all of her diapers and never replenished the car stash.  Genius. 

The car is finished; and off I run back to the house to change said diaper and pants.  I hop back into the car and head to mom's to do the drop. My next errand is to check out the "pre-sale" of an estate sale over near UT hospital.  I park at the bottom of the driveway and hike up the hill with Sara on my hip.  This sale is for my friend, whose parents died within a few years of each other, and she has spent the last two years trying to get to this point. 

Walking in, I instantly see how much work has gone into this sale.  Her parents had not come to the point where they had to scale down or move to a one level home.  They had a basement, and two very large levels above that.  It wasn't full with kids mementos but just with everyday living, hobbies, tools, and their own personal treasures.  I was overwhelmed to the point of tears as I thought about all that my friend had endured. She had buried two people very dear to her, suffered through her own health issues, mediated conflicts among relations; all in her late twenties.  I imagine her spending many hours by herself sorting and organizing.  I regret time that I piddled away when I could have helped-even if it were just one afternoon for companionship. 

I didn't buy anything. I walked back down the drive realizing how radically blessed I am.  Even amidst all the perpetual errands, face washing, and floor cleaning, life is good.  God will make all things new, and I am thankful for the reminder.