Just look for the silver lining

Weekends are wonderful, or so I’ve been told. For me, they rarely turn out like I plan. I’m sure I’m not the only person who looks forward to a weekend of rest and rejuvenation, only to spend the better part of a Saturday searching for a garage that does auto repair emergencies. They do exist; they just close at noon, which isn’t much help when your problem starts at 11:30 a.m. and you’re a half hour away.

In my massive amount of phone calls, I got a lot of helpful suggestions on what to do in the meantime. I’ll give a shout-out to the men at NAPA Auto Parts who showed me how to disconnect my battery — the temporary fix to my problem.

I try to find the silver lining when things are not going well. I don’t always succeed.

This weekend, while trying to find my owner’s manual for my car, I found a pair of gloves in — of all places — my glove compartment! Granted, the manual might have been a better find considering my dilemma, but I’m counting it as a bonus because my other gloves are at the end of their usefulness.

When I moved the search indoors, I looked in the drawers of my desk. I’m always amazed at the things I find. I probably shouldn’t admit that; they are my things, after all.
I found a detailed floor plan for the mansion I’ll build near the ocean when I win the lottery. Note to self: Buy lottery ticket. I’m not sure if it’s worth hanging on to, but hope springs eternal. So back in the desk drawer it goes.

There was also a file of story ideas from when I was going to be a writer of great novels. That was before I realized that writing takes time and effort, and that no one pays you upfront for that. The bonus is, I’m writing about finding that file now, and there just might be some good material to sneak into future columns.

There certainly is an advantage to being neat and orderly and having a system where everything is stored where it needs to be. I’ve not really spent much time in that world, but my dad did. I was reminded of that when I spent some time in the basement early Friday morning, staring at my non-functioning hot water heater. Yes, it has been a fun week!

I see the hand-built wooden boxes with the names of the tools and the dates purchased in Dad’s handwriting. I see the hanging box that houses his wrenches, saws and hammers all hung in the correct spot; there is an outline around each tool. I believe comedian Tim Allen referred to that as the “dead tool silhouette.”

I notice a saw is missing. Since I live alone, it would be natural to assume that it’s my fault. It’s pretty unlikely that I would know what to do with a saw, and my brother does come home each summer. So for now, I’ll just shift blame to him. Having a brother to blame = another silver lining.