God Send

I tried to replace the side view mirror of my old Saturn Ion, destroyed after backing up from the garage and hitting the garbage receptacle, ordered the part online but received a different model. So I called the help desk and got a new part mailed to me though I need to send back the previous one, having to pay shipping cost because it was my mistake. It would have caused me about USD 100 if I had it repaired at an outside work shop, but instead found a YouTube video on how to change the mirror and ordering it online. I had high hopes on Saturday afternoon when I was ready to change the part; I bought a socket wrench at home depot and some kitchen utilities, coming back home excited to replace the mirror but finding out that the screws didn’t align to the proper places. It was deflating but in a way it efficient to call the help center and have everything sorted out, an amazing thing to do, realizing that the staff maybe half way around the world, likely in my own home country, going over a script on how to assist customers in another country , working with their computer systems to address problems thousands of miles away.

It was a good weekend coming into Friday evening with the news that my relative’s hospital bills, at least the major ones involving his operation and hospital stay, has been paid by the state medical insurance, like a gift from heaven. It was a God send and praise the Lord because there is someone up there helping and that our prayers have been answered, difficult to believe that such a thing is possible, giving one hope that everything will finally be settled. So there was a good mood all through the weekend, though my wife was not feeling well and could not attend the lunch scheduled on Sunday. The occasion was for a visit by a colleague from the home country, here for several months of training, coming together with friends with an excellent lunch of stuffed crabs, spicy glass noodles with Shrimp, barbecue pork and shrimps, steamed fish in soy sauce, rice and ice cream, apple crisp and tiramisu. We drank Chianti wine and lemon juice together with the lunch, and the obligatory picture taking. There was good conversation but eventually we seemed to have run out of topics, although there was laughter and jokes, it seemed strained and thought that the other guests were bored.

We played golf, nine holes after lunch, finishing at 5:30 pm, enjoying the weather after the cold spell last week, enjoying the sunshine outdoors. I had started the day vacuuming the house, removing  the dust and dirt after several weeks of installing curtains, drilling holes in the wall, afterwards cooking breakfast and preparing the desert cooked last night, thinking that I would be exhausted at the end of the day after playing  golf. But I was not tired coming home, invigorated somehow and watching 2 episodes of ‘Downton Abbey’, afterwards rushing through the magazines that I needed to return to the library tomorrow, missing the show ‘Sherlock Holmes’ but ready for bed by 11 pm. I had trouble sleeping, drifting in and out of sleep throughout the night, rising from bed near 6 am and going to the gym to swim. I felt good after the weekend, starting with the Friday news and the phone conference with my siblings, working on the house and paying my bills on Sunday morning before the lunch occasion and the game of golf. It was liberating because I had a chance to enjoy and have fun with friends though sad that my wife missed the event, but glad that I did not need to prepare and organize this occasion and ready to have others take care of the work, receding in the background and let others take charge.