Our mornings are on autopilot. It is not easy getting myself, two young girls and a fish dressed, fed, and out the door. Fine, I don’t have to dress the fish but you get the point.
We just go. Sure, there are giggles and cuddles and laughter, but we are moving. Wake up, get dressed, go potty, brush your teeth, eat your breakfast, grab your backpack, get in the car, buckle up, go, go, go. I seriously don’t even have to think about it. I am on autopilot and we are outta here. Our mornings are like a scene from Groundhog Day.
Until yesterday.
I had barely glanced over my shoulder in the car while mumbling, “Are you buckled, Maddie?” A thought flitted through my mind as my eyes darted to the rearview camera on my dashboard: That looks odd. No time to register the thought. Go.
The jarring sound of crunching metal was the only thing that made me stop.
Oops.
I had reversed right into the garage door with the back door of the minivan still open.
The girls and I stared at each other. Oops.
The whole incident cost me a forty dollar service call to the garage door repair company, a few scratches on our trusty minivan, and arriving at work an hour late.
You might call it carelessness or an accident. I call it divine intervention. Someone is telling me to slow down.
I got it, Universe, I got it.
Thirty-one days of stories as part of the Slice of Life Story Challenge, hosted by Two Writing Teachers.
Murphy's Law 
Those small moments that remind us to slow down are valuable lessons. We can be in such a hurry that we forget to savor the present. I’m glad it was only a $40 repair that provided the message.
Your small moment story is so on point! I admire that you kept it short and sweet – a goal of mine! I need to be less wordy. Thanks for your mentor text!
Love the last line! Slowing down is so important!
Great job capturing the entire scene in a short piece. I might try capturing a scene in a small piece. Thank you for sharing and inspiring.
Ahhhh….what a timely message for me. Sometimes I move so fast that I forget to stop and enjoy the present.
Also, glad that it was a simple fix to the garage door. It will certainly be a memory for your kids–‘remember that ONE time you forgot to close the van door, Mom?’ LOL.
Just proves that when things get hectic we need to stop, take a deep breath, and then continue. Thanks for reminding us about the importance of taking our time,
Oh no! I’m glad you were able to turn a crummy start to your day into a great Slice. I can feel the rush in your writing as you speed through your daily routine, and I love how your writing slows down as we continue to read. And then the perfect ending….and some great advice. No matter what our mornings and days are like, it is so important to take a breath and slow down. Thanks for sharing and I’m glad the damage isn’t too bad.
I love this! I so believe that the universe does give us signs like that. I like to think that getting to work an hour late meant that you avoided something more awful if you would have made it on time. Everything happens for a reason! 🙂
I feel like the “slow down” messages are starting to appear for me daily. Yikes! I can definitely relate. I may have been pretty angry 10 years or so ago, but when I backed out into my husband’s car a few years back, I just thought, “oh well, it’s just a car.” I always appreciate your short posts that say so much. A good lesson for the girls too – don’t sweat the small stuff! 🙂
Oh, I winced when you said what happened. I’ve done things like that. My husband is amazed that I can hit the garage in more ways than one. Ha. I love your take-away, though. SLOW DOWN! We need to do everything we can to prevent our days becoming like Groundhog Days!
Yes Dana that was a reminder to ALL of us to slow down and focus on the moment! Glad you are all ok.
I can definitely identify with the “Groundhog Day” feeling. Every day seems the same a lot of the time. But I think slowing down is always good advice!
You definitely capture that go, go, go feeling as you’re rushing to get out and on your way. There’s something wonderfully forgiving about the word Oops! and I love how you repeated it twice. I could totally picture you and your girls locking eyes. Glad this wasn’t more serious and that you took away an important reminder and material for a slice. Thanks for sharing!
I especially like the detail and narration around the fish.
First, oh my goodness! I’m glad everything was easily solved with the garage. Secondly I love when you “I got it universe, I got it”. We all need a sign to slow down and focus on what matters sometime!
I love that you can see this moment as a reminder to slow down. It truly is the best perspective to take on drastically different routine to your autopilot mornings. I am constantly reminding myself to slow down my life.