Sometimes we have to deal with the unplanned. If you're anything like me, these things throw you off balance. When I get off balance I get stressed and that anxiety I've blogged about before creeps up and I end up overstimulated and start wading those risk-of-relapse-waters. So today I'd like to talk about the:
UNEXPECTED
I'm going to start the story with a beautiful winter evening. It's a Saturday in the middle of December, the year 2024. I had spent the day with people I love making gingerbread cookies... well, I helped decorate them and prep for dinner a bit... the resident chef did most of the work. Which was greatly appreciated 😊. That's beside the point, it was a good day. Then I prepped to leave, which is always a bit sad, but I got on the road to make the trip home. It was unseasonably warm, around 40°, the roads were clear but I had a bit of a drive ahead of me. I drive off into the night.
•
At this point, it's worth the mention that I love my car. This 2017 Chevrolet Malibu was a HUGE blessing when I got it. From the financing I didn't think I deserved, to the quality of the vehicle itself, I couldn't have asked for a better car at a better time. On with the story:
I get about halfway home and there's a round-a-bout, the ever-so-welcome blessings of Northern Michigan roads, in my path. I always come into this one a little hot so I make sure to focus on my speed and distance to my swiftly approaching circular traffic obstacle. And that's when she appeared...
"Hitting a deer with your car is always an unfair trade. You're out the cost of the insurance deductible, but nature is only out a buck." —Unknown
It's one of the largest white-tailed deer does I've ever seen in a roadway. Okay, Everyone has their own advice on how to handle this situation. Just hit it so you don't damage your brakes, hit it a certain way so you take as little damage to your car as possible... But I'm the guy behind the wheel right now and really don't want to take ANY damage to my beloved Malibu, evasive maneuvers were taken. I steer to the left (no oncoming traffic), and slam the brakes. I'm actually going to miss this deer. Relief? Nope. Out pops an impossibly bigger doe that I just cannot avoid. The Malibu, will never be the same again. Spoiler alert... She's totaled 😭.
•
I tell you this story because dealing with my insurance company has been the icing on the cake for me. I've had some old health conditions creep up, wasn't able to have oral surgery, it's Christmas time so this single daddy is broke AF, and I have to figure out how I'm going to drive my son halfway across the state this weekend. The stressors are adding up and anyone in recovery or not can relate to that happening in their lives. Letting these stressful emotions pile up and dip back into my old avoidance lifestyle is not an option now. That's the behavior that made drinking such an easy choice to make back in the day.
So, I leave you with this: even when life throws you some "sober people problems" and it gets to be too much, don't run and hide. Reach into that tool belt of coping mechanisms and take things one day at a time. Go spend some time with supportive people you value, get some rest, and make that damn call to the auto shop for the estimate the insurance company needs.
As always until next time.
P.S. No deer were seriously hurt in the making of this blog.
Comentarios