A moment to breathe

Next up in my new posting-every-two-weeks trend: a mental breakdown.

Not really. But I have had an interesting morning, and I thought it warranted a post.

Is anybody else one of those people who can have a bunch of stressful things happen and take them fairly well...up to the point where one small thing happens and you completely collapse? Because that's me. Hopefully some of you can identify.

I don't have to go to work until 1 p.m. today, but I got up really early because we're going to New Orleans this week (yayy!!), we're taking my car, and the oil needed changing. Not really, though, because I have this oil leak that's been going on for months, so the oil actually changes itself and we just add more in. We haven't gotten the leak fixed yet, because it would require removing the transmission to get to the valve. Which costs a LOT.

But anyway, the oil ostensibly needed changing. I left the house at 7:20--having already showered and breakfasted and pulled the furniture away from the wall so the pest control guy could come--to get to the place right when it opened. I even brought my Bible study book with me so I wouldn't be sitting there idle for 30 minutes.

When my car was done, the guy called me out there and pointed out that the oil leak is getting pretty bad, and needs to be fixed really soon. (Goodbye, savings account...) He also pointed out that right now, my tires were fine, but I'd need new ones within the next couple of months. Whoop?

So, that's a bummer, right? Travis and I try to live simply. We're grateful for our jobs, and we definitely have enough to get by. But we're not engineers like a lot of our friends, and we don't make enough to put very much (if anything) into savings at this time. Thus, big spending occasions like the ones I just mentioned can be pretty stressful. I was beginning to feel a little stressed driving home, but I didn't realize just how much until later.

While getting my oil changed, I noticed I didn't have my phone with me, and realized I must have left it on the table. When I got home, it wasn't there. I dutifully trooped upstairs and downstairs to every room I'd been to this morning, checked in my car, checked in my purse, my backpack. Couldn't find it. And I seriously started bawling. Worse than bawling. Sobbing? Anyway, I was making a ton of noise and I was sort of worried that the neighbors would think I was dying.

And I wasn't even that upset about the phone! I knew it had to be at home or in my car somewhere and I would find it eventually. But my brain was all, "I have errands to run before work and the LISTS are on my phone! What will I DOOO?!?!?!" and "What if I don't find it?? I can't buy a new phone right before we go to New Orleans!!!" My brain uses really excessive punctuation.

It was just the straw that broke the Ginny's back, I guess--on top of getting ready to go out of town, then hearing about those impending car costs.

However, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because I had the idea to call my mom on Skype and get her to call my cell phone (Travis was at school). They've done some studies lately that hearing your mother's voice has a calming effect, and I think that's true for me. So Mom called my phone 5 times, and the last time I found it in the trunk of my car (yes, weird). I'd been putting my reusable bags away and I guess I dropped it in there at the same time. I was able to laugh at the whole situation, and I felt a whole lot better after crying. Also, I was starving.

So I guess I'm grateful for my freak-out moment because it ended with a mom conversation, a feeling of peace, a second breakfast, and a moment to breathe and count my blessings. Because there are truly so many.