Tarp Legs and Water Bottle Bowling

As we settled into the car to add yet another 165 or so miles to our already mileage-packed day, she reached over and took my hand as I drove.

"Father God, let us find joy in unexpected places. Amen" 

I glanced over at Adrienne and gave her a half-grin which was wholly full of apology. I was letting myself get in the way of what could be an a really good day with my girl. Instead of being thankful that my Saturday had worked itself out and I was able to go with Heather to her dance competition in Johnstown (that was the first 100 mile round trip) and I was able to go car shopping with Adrienne (the next 165 miles) I was feeling wrinkly, rumpled and grumpled (I know, cool word right?) and I'm sure I even looked a little like Rumplestiltskin on Once Upon a Time.

Joy in unexpected places. 

When your cell phone slips from your hand, glances off the sink and sinks slow motion style into the toilet: not joyful. But I am thankful for rice and it did force me to be disconnected for a time which was good. That's how my Friday started and then on Saturday, I tentatively slipped the phone from the rice to see if it was working and I was left with a slow motion style sinking feeling. I need to work on being joyful even when it's not looking so good!

Phoneless, I set out with Adrienne and Heather for Johnstown in the white Subaru because my car was in the garage and Adrienne's car was totaled (black ice) which was why we'd be driving a lot today as we were hoping to find her another car of which I am rather clueless on what is good, bad, a great deal or you've-been-had.  See how I was already setting myself up for stress? And I had really wanted to just catch up on things at home and here I was feeling sorry for myself.

Poor Dianne. Boo-hoo.

Sometimes I just let life get to me and it makes no sense. It really doesn't.

Joy in unexpected places. 

Adrienne and I got to Monroeville and pulled in at the car dealership. We had found a Chevy Cobalt on-line and we get there about 15 minutes before closing. I'm sure they were all thrilled. The salesman "Mike" took us out around the building and we could see the car way back in the corner where it was waiting to be detailed. He tells us to wait while he runs to get the keys. It was soooo windy and cold and as Adrienne and I  huddled together, she suddenly says in a quiet, serious voice, "Mom, I thought he was crawling on the ground."

WHAT?

I turned to look at what she was seeing and across the parking lot, there was a tarp, the same khaki color as Mike's pants, and as the wind would catch it, the tarp would flap and flutter about. Kinda like someone's legs.

The laughter that ensued was breathtaking, tear-inducing and absolutely, ridiculously joyful. Every time we'd think we were done, the wind would make those "legs" jump  and flap about in anatomically impossible ways and we'd just lose it all over again. Somehow we managed to stop when Mike returned with the keys.

But then, after the test drive and we were in the office sitting at his desk, he stands up and the guy's fly was wide open. I looked away and tried to compose my face. I didn't dare look directly at Adrienne or I knew what would happen. I did brave one quick sideways glance at her and she had her hands around her mouth and her eyebrows slightly raised and I knew she knew and she wasn't looking at me either.

Buwahahahahahahahahaha! Hold it in. Hold it in.

Joy in unexpected places.

We didn't get the car that day. Something about an older car, no bank to finance....To be fair, we did walk in 15 minutes before closing time. Find the joy, find the joy. I know, let's go to Sheetz and get food. I don't know what Adrienne was thinking as she ordered her burrito, but somehow a double order of pork got put on it along with rice and beans and a myriad of vegetables. It was like a small child. I nearly needed a forklift to carry it to the car. Oh, did we laugh.

Joy in unexpected places.

We stopped at the store to pick up a few things on our way back through Somerset. We weren't expecting a freak snowstorm. When we came out of the store, it was FREEZING and very windy and we hadn't dressed for winter. Then a case of 24 bottles of water decided to split as Adrienne lifted it from the cart. It was like someone was bowling and hit a strike, knocking 24 pins every which way. There may have been two women in the parking lot causing a scene. I won't mention their names but their laughter was undeniably joyful.

Joy in unexpected places.

Our next stop was the church so I could take the dying daffodils out and replace them with cute little succulents. Somehow, one of the cute little cacti got stuck in the chain of my necklace. There I am, trying to unlock the door, talk on the phone to my son and I am laughing because I have a cactus pendant hanging off of me.

You know what? God answered the prayer. Joy doesn't always have to be profound or have deep meaning. It can be in simple, everyday life and sometimes very unexpected. Who would have thought a khaki tarp, an unzipped fly, a behemoth burrito, water bottle bowling and a dangling cactus could cause such laughter and memories?

Life can be a fun ride when I choose to let it be!

Love,
Dianne