Day 2 - Enjoy the Ride

December 11, 2014

(This is part of a 365 project during my 70th year. Each day I will find a gift the day brings, write about it and illustrate it.)

A new car always comes with “bated breath” in the small print. When I got my new red Camry nearly three years ago, I held my breath for a few weeks, waiting for the first ding. I didn’t have to wait very long when some careless person christened it on a parking lot, despite my attempts to park in a space that might better protect. Since then my breathing has improved.

I have learned that dings allow me to let go of my attempts to hold on to perfection. Dings happen. Life welcomes them, else why would there be so many along the way? Sometimes even good stuff results. When I was little and scraped my knee on the sidewalk, my mother cuddled me, kissed my scrape. She loved me even though my body was not perfect. Those dings went away with time but scars from my knee replacement remain. As I grow older, I’ve learned to accept those dings that have become part of my body’s geography. I am not perfect and that is okay.

Today, as I was washing the bird bombs from my car, I noticed that one spot could not be wiped off. Certainly, the birds were not responsible but the nearby tree part probably was. No worries. Just another turn, a letting go of expectations of perfection.

Dings are gifts that free my mind so I can enjoy the ride.

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> DAY 3 Cooking

Find links to other project posts here:
http://bjschupp.blogspot.com/2014/12/365-gifts.html