How often have you planned out your day just right only to have a monkey-wrench thrown into the mix?
Yesterday I experienced that monkey-wrench, along with a few socket wrenches and cut knuckles for good measure.
After having a completely unproductive weekend due to attending my son’s Little League games and celebrating my birthday (gifts are still being accepted), I had planned to work from home and still have a little time with my wife and kids.
With the time saved by eliminating my commute, I would be able to make a large dent in my list of outstanding items before everyone got home from school and work. After a short break for dinner with the family, I’d wrap up the last few items on my list and call it a night.
Everything was going according to plan and I was actually being even more productive than I had hoped. With the homework finished and dinner being digested, the kids asked if we could make a quick trip to the skate park so they could show me their new tricks.
Since everything had been going so well earlier in the day, I figured that I could spare another hour before getting back to work so we loaded up the truck with the skateboard, roller blades and necessary safety gear.
Click…click…click!
Don’t tell me!
Let me try that again.
Click…click…nothing!
The battery in my wife’s truck was toast. The kids were bummed that we couldn’t head to the skate park and I was bummed that I had to head out to get a new battery. I’d certainly not planned for this mechanical interruption but with my wife needing her truck to get to work the next morning there wasn’t much choice in the matter. Rather than stopping off at the skate park for a little fun, we had to hurry over to the auto parts store down the street before they closed.
I told the kids that if we made it to the store before they closed and I was able to get a new battery, we could still stop at the skate park on the way home. The kids were thrilled that the store was still open and after purchasing the new battery, we were on our way to the skate park for a little bit of fun. After 30 minutes of twists, turns and crashes, it started to rain so we packed up the car to head home.
With darkness upon us and the rain coming down, I realized that I would be standing out in the rain to change the battery as my wife had parked outside. I tried to push her truck into the garage but there was no way that thing was moving, at least not forward. So there I was out on the dark driveway, standing in the rain replacing the battery when I thought the kids would be in bed and I would be back to work.
Can someone please explain to me why you need two brackets, one bar, six screws and a locking cover to secure one truck battery?
That’s right, no easy battery change for me. After finding all of the various screws, brackets and bars holding the battery in place, I had the new battery installed and the car was back in operation.
With soaking clothes and the hours of my night just about gone, I still had a my list of work to be done but I was able to spend some quality time with the kids. And you know what…
I wouldn’t change a thing!
When The Best Laid Plans Go Wrong
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
I can’t count how many days in a given week go this way, only I’m not always as good of a sport as you are ๐ Happy Belated Birthday!
Thanks Sarah! Don’t let me fool you, I’m not always this good of a sport about issues like this but this time I just took it all in stride.
That is why, my friend, you pick up a battery charger so you can at least start the car up. You actually let your wife drive too!?! Happy birthday ๐
I’ve got a charger for my motorcycle battery but I don’t think it would give enough charge to the truck battery. To make matters worse, I didn’t even have jumper cables handy otherwise I could have just given it a jump from my car.
Thanks Leo!
Haha what a story! Happy B-day and find some time to relax!
Lol, great story, and happy belated b-day! Nothing ever works out as planned ๐
Dude we need a front porch, iced cold drinks and some nice comfortable chairs. I could tell a like that one. How about when you get in there to work on the battery and you realize it’s housed inside the enclosed fender. That was a jolly day. I wasn’t taking anybody to the skate park! Ha!
In all seriousness though, I admire your ability to provide and be there for your family. It really seems through the writings on your blog that you value that.
@Matt :: Thanks, I’m pretty good about relaxing!
@Dave :: You’re right that things rarely work out according to plan, at least not when we want them to. Thanks!
@Damien :: Lol, I’m sure that we could go back and forth with stories like this and have some good laughs looking back at it. Although I know there are few laughs at the time. Regarding the family, thanks for the nice words and you are right that being a good dad/husband is very important to me – as you might see by my latest announcement. ๐
Happy belated b-day! You are a great guy. If you can look back on that kind of day and say I would not change a thing then that tells us all that you are great.
Well, I might change the dead battery so we could have had more time at the skate park but it was still a fun little adventure.
Thanks for the b-day wishes and kind words as well!
When the best laid plans go wrong, it’s totally hell!I can’t count anymore those well-planned activities then suddenly turned out to be like trash in the garbage. Well, sometimes things are inevitable. Just deal with it!
Murphyรยดs law!!!