Timing is Everything

Last week at this time I was securing a loan to help my firstborn daughter buy her first car. A “good deal” had fallen into our lap, thanks to the work of my 84 year old father who had taken it upon himself to help me shop for a vehicle for Sydney, and on Friday, my daughter and I took off after work to drive to my hometown to purchase a 2007 Ford Focus with 40,000 miles on it. We stayed with my parents Friday evening, bought the car Saturday morning, had lunch with my folks, then dropped in to visit my brother, sister-in-law, niece, and grand-nephew before going our separate ways. I returned home Saturday night in our family van. Sydney enjoyed a night with her friends before making her own way home Sunday evening.

The timing of this car purchase had seemed quite inconvenient to say the least. My correcting folders continue to burst at their seams and my tears at the end of a department meeting last week remind me that there’s a lot on my plate that demands my time and attention, but as I have grown older and wiser, I have grown to trust the value of following my gut when it comes to making decisions on the best course of action to take--for my students and for my family. Perhaps putting my daughter’s needs and wants before my own, I took the weekend’s adventures as they unfolded and I made the most of that nearly four-hour car ride with Syd. Have you ever noticed the best conversations with our loved ones often occur in a car? We talked about school, sang along with the radio, enjoyed hot dogs and ice cream, and allowed the freedom of the open road to invigorate us.

After taking a test drive and buying the car, bright and early the next morning, we headed back to my parent’s house. I soaked in the laughter of my Mom and Dad as we sat and ate pizza together on Saturday afternoon. I memorized the touch of my parent’s hugs as I said goodbye before we left,  and I later felt the warmth of my sister-in-law’s embrace and enjoyed my brother’s teasing of my short stature, “You’re such an Oompa Loompah!” when we dropped in on them both before heading out of town.

And although it’d have been easy to jump on the highway and not get off an hour later, I knew I’d made the right decision to make a pit stop to visit my niece and former flower-girl Ashleigh, and I was moved by my little grand-nephew Liam’s affection as he immediately jumped into my arms when he saw me at their door. Oh sure, this trip may have come out of the blue and have seemed quite inconvenient initially, and yes, I’ve written this blog post in denial of those bulging correcting folders which are still at my side, but in truth, following my gut all the way to my hometown and back was the right thing to do this weekend, and this reminder of the importance of all that truly matters could not have come at a better time.