Stuck Between A Wheel Bearing and a Famine

     What makes for a frustrating day?

     On a frustration scale of one to ten, I had originally decided to give today a seven.

     Around 11 a.m., I was heading to Midland to have lunch with my daughter. 

     Around 11:30 a.m, my car made the decision for me that I might ought to go to Lubbock instead and see the repair shop that had worked on the vehicle two months ago after I hit a deer.  Frustration--and disappointment--set in but only mildly.  Surely this was going to be something easily remedied, and perhaps I could head over to Midland for an early evening dinner.

      The visit at the auto shop, however, did not produce results that I wanted.  Most businesses in Lubbock take it for granted that everyone who comes into their store on a Friday lives in Lubbock and can wait until Monday to take care of matters.  It seemed the gasoline for the unexpected trip to Lubbock was all but wasted, so I thought I would try to salvage what I could of the day and at least get a few groceries. 

       As it turns out, the market was right next door to another car care business.  I went in, talked to Bill, and he took care of matters immediately. 
       The problem, he said, was not related to hitting the deer. He also said he would call the dealership for me in Lubbock and see what they could do.  That was a big mistake.  That dealership was, in Bill's word, "squirrel-ly"  and would not be helpful unless I forked over more money for a diagnostic test that Bill said it didn't need.

        That's when Bill and I both decided the best route to take would be to go to Abilene where I bought the car and let them take care of it, hopefully under warranty. 

         By now, I had made several calls to my insurance adjuster and the Abilene dealership trying to sort out exactly what to do, and by 3 p.m. the decision was made. 

         After four hours of what I THOUGHT was frustrating, I headed home in my air-conditioned albeit injured car with a diet soda, groceries, tunes on the radio, and still money in my account.

          *********

          The scale score for a frustrating day changed.   That revelation came to me while sitting in the market, waiting on Bill's vehicle inspection, and eating my hearty lunch of chicken, bread, and fresh vegetables.

          Frustration is not a four-hour Friday episode of trying to figure out what to do with a 2010 vehicle.

          Frustration is walking days with your five children to a place where you can only hope aid workers can provide some sustenance.
          Frustration is not being able to bury the three children who died en route.
          Frustration is taking your children to a hospital in that same country, a facility without running water or electricity or toilets.

         Frustration is knowing that a cholera outbreak is rampant in that area, even in the hospital.

         And frustration is knowing that help in the form of food and medicine are being sent and are available but that a group of militant soldiers--all in the name of their radical "faith"--are preventing those supplies from saving men, women, and children.

         Frustration is famine and hate and war and all the rotten stuff that goes along with it. 

         I am stuck alright.......stuck in a world where people sometimes complain about having to do lunch duty at school, a world where a copy machine malfunction leads to impatient and hateful words at the office, and a world where people often neglect to say a prayer of thanks before a meal.  A real meal.

         Frustration is staying stuck when you know better.