Crunch!
That’s what happened to my wife’s Ford Explorer when it was T-boned in a Walmart parking lot while she was driving recently. The aftermath looked like a stepped-on Coors Light can. She was fine, but the SUV suffered more than $7,000 in damage from this low-speed collision. Luckily, the doors still opened. And even more luckily, we were able to get the vehicle repaired in a reasonable amount of time.
In the process, we learned that we did not have rental car insurance for accidents. My father, rest his soul, is shaking his head in frustration with me right now. When I wrecked my car, and then his truck, and then his car — all in a matter of a month at age 21 — he made me purchase rental car insurance. “Your car is a required tool for your job,” he told me. “And you need to make sure you have all the tools you need. Buy the insurance.”
So I did. Or at least I thought I did. Regardless, I will be again soon.
To be honest, I really wasn’t too concerned after Jolene’s accident, as I had it all planned out. She could drive my truck, and I would ride my motorcycle. What I didn't have planned out was a week of temperatures in the 40s with rain. Have you ever looked at some moron riding a motorcycle in the freezing cold and wondered why in the world anyone would do that? Now you know.
Through this all, I couldn’t help but think of my mother telling me how she and Dad had one vehicle in the early years of their marriage. She would push my sister in a stroller down to his place of employment if she needed the vehicle and then would return it after her errands and stroll back home. This seemed to work fine for them. Mom not working outside of the home made that arrangement easier, as did the fact that Dad didn't work far from home. Truth be told, having one vehicle in a family wasn’t all that uncommon at the time. That memory makes me feel guilty each time I drive my vehicle a few blocks to pick up groceries, drop off dry cleaning, or go to the bank, but I still do it.
Getting by with less is a good exercise for all of us from time to time, as it lets us know how fortunate we are today and that, if necessary, we can make things work without all the “stuff” that we think we need. Except for my motorcycle. That’s clearly a necessity.
Have a marvelous Monday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305 | 
