Dear J-
I see the car stopped in front of me, but too late. Slam-bang, I’m on their bumper and before I know it we’re pulling over and trading information, me more than a little sheepishly as I know I’m at fault here. Thankfully no one’s hurt and that’s the first thing they ask — are you okay — and I want to reply that I’m fine aside from being sleepy but that’s my mouth getting me in trouble so I bite down on my tongue some more. The van is amazingly undamaged — I goggle at it a bit and call the passenger out to see if he can see anything I’m not — but the Infiniti Q45 (post-94 remodel with a grille) isn’t quite so lucky — I’ve slammed into them hard enough to push their rear bumper in a little bit, and the trunk is jammed.
Strange, I’m out of sorts and jittery until I get a call from the insurance company. I may pay more for my insurance but it’s strictly for the hand-holding I get on the line, reassurance that everyone’s as foolish as I am and we could all do with a little of that after you beat yourself up like crazy over every little thing that goes wrong. And I hate being snappish: even though that’s understandable it’s stupid to take it out on people who I have yet to affect with my inattention. Or maybe I already am: what’s the point of being preoccupied when you’ve got so many other folks to help out and take care of?
It’s Monday. Is this a trend? Too soon to tell, as Zhou Enlai would put it. If you spend all day bringing your mind to a crashing halt by not doing work or slacking off maybe this is the reward you reap. On the other hand if I wasn’t so tired (and got more sleep, notch) I wouldn’t be in this predicament. Do what’s right. Change your life to fit the situation, don’t shoehorn everything in like you’re still in college, man.
Mike
Dear J- 