The K Turn of Chaos

I remember that my intent was to be helpful. More often than not, a lot of my misadventures begin that way. Long ago and far away, after years of tent camping, we decided to splurge and rent a waterfront room in a motel on Keuka Lake for a long weekend. Bob went to check in and get the key and I decided to be helpful and turn the car around.

I remember part of the property was under construction and I was trying to figure out if they were adding or subtracting or reinforcing or what the deal was. Apparently, I was wondering all of this while making a K-turn which normally is my jam (#notaparallellparker) and the first part of the turn went fine. I'm not sure what happened next. All I know is that as I was making the final turn out, the right side of the car was suddenly up in the air and stuck, which was not very helpful at all. All three kids in the backseat noticed too.

Child #1- "Are we supposed to be up in the air?"

Child #2- "This is fun. Can I take my seatbelt off and sit on the high side?"

Child #3- A toddler, not sure if she's on the happy side, or the something-is-very-wrong side.

For a brief second, I almost thought that there might be something in the glove compartment to help me. I don't know, maybe some kind of manual with a tip on what to do if your car is stuck up in the air but that side of the car was up in the air and I didn't want to cause any extra movements by reaching for it.

I was deciding whether to try moving forward again or to just evacuate when it occurred to me that Bob would be coming out of the motel office at any moment. I said a quick prayer to Sweet Jesus; not so much for the words to explain; there really was no explanation for what occurred other than I overshot something in my attempt to be helpful. It was more about hoping he would have a calm heart when he walked out and saw his wife and children embedded in an embankment. Oh, that poor man. He did say on our wedding day that life with me would never be boring.

As expected, he walked out and I could tell by the look on his face that he was quite shocked. #fair I could also tell he was trying to keep himself calm-- a quality I truly adore about him when he is confronted by my unplanned shenanigans.

He approached, "I'm not even going to ask."

I responded," I was trying to be helpful and it didn't go very well."

He answered, "Just get the kids out of the car and go stand over there."

In the end, Bob saved the day by backing up the car which didn't even occur to me as an option. I was so grateful that:

• the car did not shift suddenly

• Bob and the kids were calm

• the car was not damaged

• we had a bottle of wine in the cooler

Every experience makes you that much wiser. (at least that's what I tell myself when these things happen that don't seem to happen to other people.)

• In the moment, especially the challenging ones, we have more options than we think. Whether you are navigating a K Turn or navigating a relationship or career choice, sometimes backing up is the best option.

• Remaining calm is always a good idea.

• Focus is crucial, even for the tasks we do very well.

If I'm honest, I have a tendency to be in the next moment before it gets here. When I'm almost done with something, I'm already onto the next thing. I think that's what happened that day.

I'm learning or maybe I should say unlearning that multi-tasking is a desirable skill. In fact, I've come to the conclusion that there is no such thing. You can switch tasks rapidly but at any given time, even for a second, you will be giving one task more attention than the other. If you are folding laundry and watching tv, there will be points in time when the tv has more focus, or the sock in your hand does.

I want to be sure my focus is always where it needs to be and that means slowing my life down. I think I'm getting better at what will prove to be a continual work in progress. In the meantime, I'm grateful for God's provision and the village that keeps me safe. (#savesmefrommyself) You're feeling better about your own driving skills now, aren't you? #bloggoals #myworkhereisdone