Have you ever had one of those moments...er, days...er, lifetimes...when you feel as if the universe is aligned against you? Any of y'all remember the character from "L'il Abner" who went through life with a black cloud over his head? I'm beginning to feel like the inspiration for that character. Just check out the events of the past few days:
1) The Webster PD has notified us that there is a three-year-old unpaid traffic ticket (and the oligatory arrest warrant). This was paid two years ago, but this being the government, WE have to prove our innoncence- and how many of us save our receipts from that long ago (I know; lesson learned...)? It's true; you really CAN't fight City Hall, and it's going to take $640 to make this whole thing go away.
2) Our six-month-old 51" television died last night. It's the third time this has happened to our televisions in less than a year. Of course, repairing this bad boy is not a cheap proposition (no, there's no warranty- that's another story). Just to have a repair place pick it up will set us back $250. I hate to even think what the repair bill will be.
3) We've been looking forward to taking a family vacation for some time now. Early next month, we're taking a five-day cruise from Galveston to Cozumel. Things were looking pretty good, or at least they were, until the travel company charged our credit card for $500 more than they told us they would. It's only money, right?
It's almost become humorous (well, if I don't laugh, I just might end up crying), because it's beginning to feel as if the harder we work and the harder we try to do the right things, the more goes haywire. What do we have to do to catch a few breaks?? I keep buying lottery tickets, but that hasn't exactly proven to be a sound strategy.
It's not as if we are living beyond are means (Hey, maybe THAT'S the answer...nah...). We try to do what's right, we meet our obligations, and yet s**t still happens. Sometimes the idea of shaving my head and heading off to a monastery begins to sound rather inviting. Ah, a life of sackcloth, ashes, and simplicity. It's either that or play Russian Roulette in the bathtub, eh?
Of course, I realize that our situation is probably no different from a lot of other families. Still, I can't help but feel as if life really shouldn't be this difficult. Should it??
