Dad Things - Issue #25
Dad Things - Issue #25
I have to get my Tesla repaired.
Let me back up.
I got a Tesla Model 3 in December. I've had it on order since October and I've been wanting one ever since they came out in 2017(?). I took delivery on 12/19 and it's everything I wanted and I'm completely happy with it.
For NYE, we visited my in laws. It was a delayed Christmas celebration combined with a NYE celebration. They live in a suburban community in Orange County. Whenever we visit them, I always park on the street. It's the type of neighborhood where kids play on the street all the time. No crazy city traffic or anything like that. Except on this day, a group of kids on their bikes were chasing each other through the neighborhood, one of them lost control and slammed into the bumper of my car. One of the parents came out and alerted us to what happened. We figured out who lost control and their parents offered to pay for the repair. Rightfully so.
But three weeks into having my new car, I had to find a few body shops to get a few quotes to send to the parents so they can decide if they want to pay out of pocket or go through insurance.
The moment I saw the scratch, I knew it wasn't going to be easily buffed out. But it was also big enough that I couldn't let it go unrepaired. I knew the hassle and time it was going to take to find shops, get quotes, and then ultimately get the repair done. But I also knew "getting the scratch repaired on my brand new Tesla" is very much a first world problem and is not the worst thing in the world by a long shot.
I caught myself saying "I have to get my Tesla repaired" and realized how lucky I was to even be in that situation. I could have thrown a fit but I took a step back and realized in the grand scheme of things, things could be a lot worse.
I've had to have this mindset for the majority of the pandemic. "We're all safe and healthy", "We're all vaccinated", "We have a place to live and food to eat" were all things I had to tell myself when the variants would come and go and the end of the pandemic was nowhere in sight. Which ultimately is a good skill to have. Not just during this pandemic, but for life in general.
Time for some links.
Must Reads
10 Practical Pieces of Advice for First-Time Parents
Some of my favorite childhood memories are pretty boring — riding a bike with my dad, laying in bed with my mom watching TV, and playing board games with my grandparents. But all of those memories have one thing in common — it was quality time spent with people I love
It's true. Some of my lasting memories of growing up are when my parents would spend time with me. My dad randomly asked me to go and play basketball with him. Or when my mom would call from work and check in with us. Or watching Jeopardy with my grandma. I've made it a point to try and spend as much time with my kids as I can in the hope that I create lasting memories for them.
The Technium: 99 Additional Bits of Unsolicited Advice
Kevin Kelly does these lists every year on his birthday. Some good ones in here:
Most overnight successes — in fact any significant successes — take at least 5 years. Budget your life accordingly.
and:
Don’t worry how or where you begin. As long as you keep moving, your success will be far from where you start.
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