Throughout my life, I have become aware that sometimes things I worry about or dread turn out to be much easier than I thought they would be. Of course, the reason I still worry and/or dread some events is that there have been occasions when things I believed were easy, just weren’t what they seemed. This has happened to other folks I know, as well. These occasional events, that turn out somewhat badly or strangely, continue to reinforce my tendency to worry about things.
For example, I am very timid about needles. Not sewing needles, needles that doctors and medical staff plunge into your body. So, blood draws and blood donations are a dreaded event for me. Last year, I went for my annual blood work and, as usual, I was not anticipating it with joy. The results of the test didn’t worry me, but that needle did.
I sat down and per my routine, began actively looking at the art on the wall and out the window. The phlebotomist was very kind and told me it would be over quickly. She poked around with her hand a bit, applied the tourniquet, and then, wham! it was done! I breathed a big sigh of relief, and said, “Wow, that was easy.” She smiled and said, “That was the alcohol wipe. I haven’t put the needle in yet.”
Yikes. It wasn’t easy, and I still dread every needle stick.
Years ago, when drive-through restaurants were very new, we had some friends who were older and had never been to a drive-through. They were nervous about trying the experience, but decided they would do it. They pulled into the lane with about 2 cars in front of them, and soon there were 2 cars behind. Eventually, they arrived at the window to pick up their food and paid the bill. As they drove away, the man said to his wife, “Gee, that was easy!” She smiled, and then, as they continued down the road, she looked at the sack of food and asked, puzzled, “How did they know what we wanted?”
They had not stopped to order at the little grid machine. (Note: Nowadays, the little machine is embedded in the huge, digital menu, so much harder to miss – even for first-timers!)
Once, on a return trip from a vacation, my husband and I took a toll road home. We thought the only downside would be slowing down to pay the occasional toll. On the last toll, we notice the outside lane had no line! The sign above it said “EZ” and we went through it without a hitch. We slowed just a little, but there was no one there to collect money.
My husband commented to me, “Wow, that was easy!” And it certainly was! Of course, about two weeks later, we received a notice in the mail (along with a picture of our license plate) that informed us using the “EZ” lane without an “EZ” pass was a traffic violation. Twenty-five dollars later (plus postage), we realized, it hadn’t been so easy.
Have you had experiences that you thought would be “easy,” but weren’t? Do tell!
Trying to help anyone, even family, through a situation would seem so easy – but NO!
Had a situation come up last week – grandson had a car breaddown for the third time and decided he wanted to drive to Columbus – 2 hrs away – to look at two cars he saw online! No problem, I was available to help – could drive over with him – get his car and follow him home! He was buying a stick shift and had never driven one yet!! No problem, we found the exact car he wanted – were working on the paperwork, when there was some sommotion outside the front door – I thought it was a person with a stoke issue, since some squads had shown up – but the crash sound I heard- I thought someone had hit a squad – but NO! Someone had flipped there care over the ramp aread into the padrking spot where I had parked! Totalled my car, which I had just gotten ready for a vacation trip! So easy – took it to a colision repair place clse by and then had to drive home with my grandson in his new car – which he had NOT driven very much YET! Quite a trip home – great highway traveling, but interesting in town stop and go manuvers!! So, the planned easy day turned into something quite different than PLANNED!! God bless and thankfully – no person got hurt at all, but my car DIED!! On to another chapter of ease!!