A friend of mine is stressing. It’s nothing life or death, just the every day worries. So I decided to list my top ten ways to stop worrying, at least for a moment. Maybe one will help her 🙂
1. Call a friend
2. Do tai chi (or yoga or whatever)
3. Take a nap
4. Color (or do a puzzle or whatever)
5. Take a walk
6. Look at puppies on the Internet
7. Call another friend
8. Watch a funny movie (or a ball game or whatever)
9. Write a poem (or a story or whatever)
10. Turn on party music
”If I faked my own death, it would definitely involve a banana peel on a cliff.”
That’s an actual thought I had today, or at least a cleaned up version of it.
My task? Adding a quart of oil to the car. A message had come up telling me I was at the minimum. Instead of asking my husband or dad, I thought to myself, “Is this the year of no limits or isn’t it?” The answer might seem obvious to you, but I’ve been feeling particularly crappy about myself lately, and I seriously doubted my ability.
But no! I got out the manual and checked what kind of oil to get. BMW brand 5W 30 or a couple other BMW types. Of course, there was no BMW brand at the auto parts store, so I grabbed a Mobil 5W 30 and asked the cashier if I was right in thinking the brand didn’t matter. He agreed.
My mom called, and I told her what I was doing. She reminded me how to use a dipstick (I didn’t tell her my car is too fancy to have one) and told me someone she knew had to get a new engine because they put fluid in the wrong place. Thanks for the confidence, Mom! I’m in my forties. #Therapy
I double checked with my Facebook friends that Mobil was okay. #ICanMakeDecisions
Did I watch a YouTube video about how to pour oil in? Yes I did. A funnel! Shit! Back to the auto parts store. Stop to close the hood all the way. Did I manage to cut my finger while opening the hood the second time? Yes I did. Double shit! People would definitely believe I slipped on a banana peel and fell to my death.
I only added about 2/3 of the quart so I didn’t become one of the sad YouTube saps who have to drain some out.
And now I wait. I wait for the engine to explode. I wait to die of a finger infection. I wait. But I have no limits.
M.L. Millard Books and Writing 