Retail Therapy with Mom
In July before my son’s wedding, I ordered a few dresses from Macy’s and picked which one I liked best to wear for the wedding. I returned the rest and got store credit. So yesterday my Mother and I went to Macy’s to do some retail therapy with my store credit! What a sight we are together. I can drive but I can’t walk long distances. My scooter is too heavy for me or my mother to put together. So we took my manual wheelchair and my 79 year old mother pushed me around the store. “I won’t need my cane because I will be pushing you in the wheelchair,” she said. People sometimes look at us and do a double-take when she is pushing me. Something about us doesn’t look right. Most people are really friendly, however and eager to help with doors and things.
Shopping took three times the time it would have when I could walk. Nevertheless, we had a great time. The weather was in the low 70s, cloudy with sprinkles. I took a deep breath of the fall air. When I got home, I sat in my recliner with Dobby in my lap and a warm feeling of gratitude swept over me like a wave. I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for my warm home, my family, my dog, my mother, my new clothes, for the things I am still able to do, for my life.
My car
For the last year I have had some frustration with my car because I could smell gas as I drove the car! Curt took it to the dealership twice but they said they could find nothing wrong. They said I was just smelling fumes from the cars on the road. Hmmmm. Wonder why that never happened in any other car I drove? I was frustrated but resigned. I thought about figuring out how to buy a new car.
Saturday my husband took my 2013 Ford Fusion to the dealership for oil change, tire rotation, normal maintenance. He left the car at the dealership and took a walk. Apparently he found a park bench and took a nap! Anthony the service technician working on the car called me (because he couldn’t find Curt). He sounded very alarmed and concerned as he told me he smelled a strong gas smell when he got in the car!!! “Yes!” I said. He said he needed to take it to the “main service place” to do a thorough search to find the leak. Well, Anthony did it! He fixed the leak.
I don’t need a new car! While it was being fixed they gave me a loaner car, a new Mustang! It was fun to drive, but hard for me to get in and out of the bucket seats. Today I got my car back. As I sat in the drivers seat, I felt that now familiar feeling of joy and gratitude for my car! I don’t need a new car, I love this one. And there is no more gas smell. I wanted to get a picture of Anthony and me because I was so grateful, but he was at lunch. So I’ll just send a shout out to Anthony at Five Star Ford in Plano! Thank you for being excellent at your job. For everyone that is working, be like Anthony! Be excellent at your job!
Choose Joy Journal
So much to write in my choose joy journal! If you don’t know about my choose joy journal, read here https://juliesnotdyingtoday.com/choose-joy-journal/. I’m thankful I can drive, for my car! for Anthony, for the angels that kept me alive when I drove my car all this year (it could have exploded with the gas leak-imagine that, death by explosion and not cancer!), for my husband who keeps my car maintained, for my Mom, for my family! For fall! For the time I have to do whatever I want! So much joy!
Ron says
Great post Julie! When you come to AZ you should drive the ’68 camaro. “You can handle the power!” and it is probably more fun to drive than the new mustang, it it’s own way.
Ron says
Great post Julie! When you come to AZ you should drive the ’68 camaro. “You can handle the power!” and it is probably more fun to drive than the new mustang, in it’s own way.
Julie Shill says
I need to drive the camaro! I can handle the power!
Chari Terry says
You are a bright spot in our lives!! What a great reminder of everything we are blessed with, and that we need to remember to be grateful for those things!! Love you, my dear friend!!
Julie Shill says
I love you Chari! You are one of the people I treasure!