Hubris my friends does not joke around. I may have been a tad too smug recently about surviving everyday activities despite being just decidedly averagino, so the Universe decided to throw me a curve ball. Well OK two - an extra one just for good measure.
Curveball Uno: I lost my US bank card on Sunday. Completely my fault so extra idiot points to me. The new card is ordered and takes 5-7 working days to arrive BUT on day 4, aka Thursday, I leave for a tour of Southern Texas with my uni friend Miss D. Best of all I currently have $41.75 cash to my name. This is probably just about enough to get me from the airport to a homeless shelter in downtown Houston and if I'm lucky a snack to keep the hunger gremlins away until dinnertime.
Universe, I promise to be ultra good for the next two weeks, at least, if you could find a way to get my replacement bank card to me tomorrow. Thank you. {This is how the Law of Attraction works right - you ask for what you need and it falls into your lap. Well it works for Tom Cruise}
Curveball Duo: I am now the proud recipient of four wheeled transportation which is simultaneously fab and ultra scary. In order to commence my tour of Southern Texas this weekend, I need to drive solo to the Dallas airport (an hour's drive) during rush hour (so make that two hours ;-)), on the Interstate, in an automatic, on the wrong side of the road, not knowing where I am going and not understanding half the road signs or even being cognisant of the speed limits here AND trying not to get killed by the multi-tasking drivers who have not heard of 'don't text and drive'. Seriously everyone here is on their phone when they drive. We may as well all just drive blindfolded and play bumper cars.
What can possibly go wrong?!
I know that in order to keep growing as a person, I should do the things that scare the pants off me. For me, despite driving a manual car very successfully for over a decade in the UK, driving solo to the airport here in Texas qualifies as wetting-my-pants-scary. In fact just reversing the car out of the garage, down the sloped driveway to run errands (without being able to tailgate my friend - which is how I got the car here) boggles my mind. Ergo so far I haven't even attempted it. But tomorrow I shall. I shall pretend to be brave and I shall pray that my constant chanting of 'drive on the right, drive on the right' has sunk in (although it's true I get more than a little left and right dyslexic under pressure).
{This experience actually takes me back to my 17 year old self and being told by my parents that I now had to drive myself to my weekly trampolining lessons (the first time driving the car completely unguided and unsupported). I remember thinking in my head: 'Wha............t OMG this is what it means to be an adult. Don't my parents realise that I'm secretly still 12 years old. OMG,' whilst outwardly saying, 'OK...see you later'}
Well most of the time I still feel like I'm 12 years old but now with wrinkles, but like my 17 year old self any bravery I exhibit tomorrow will be mostly out of necessity. This time though it'll be to go rob a bank or the drive-through ATM!!!!! and a liqour store (to steady my nerves after robbing the bank ;-)) if my card doesn't appear tomorrow!
In a foreign place, accomplishing even the simple day to day things require genius attributes. Given my starting position, no wonder I am feeling knackered. xx
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