Judge ye not....

I have always been a fast driver, and a lot of times a very impatient driver. I never understood why people drove so dang slow...why on earth would anyone go 5 or even 10 miles under the speed limit. Why drive 55 on the freeway when the limit is 75? Its just craziness! Even at stop signs I would get so frustrated when someone would take a million years waiting for a mile long gap between cars instead of jumping in the first gap possible. I would try using Jedi force hand movements to get them to move their car or yell out such jewels as..."I could have shot that gap, made a u-turn and shot it again!" or "Its a stop sign, not a camping spot!"

However one day in my younger years Heavenly Father had to be sitting in heaven looking down on me with a clever smile. On that day I was driving my beloved first car. It was a very old stick shift beat up tin can on wheels. I loved it. The transmission was starting to give out and it was slowly losing gears. No worries, I adjusted. I could get the car moving from a dead stop in 2nd gear. Who needs first gear? I was in school and working and didn't have the time or money to worry about it.

After a few weeks I started to lose other gears. I was driving down the road desperately trying to get home on a busy street with just 2nd gear. I was slow to get started, wouldn't dare shooting any gaps and couldn't go the speed limit. I remember one person in particular was annoyed with me. They were stuck behind me at a stop sign, then had to follow behind me going 10 miles under the posted speed limit on a road impossible to pass on. They were furious. I could see them sending death threats through the rear view mirror and trying to get in touch with their own Jedi powers.

I just cried and yelled back at them that they shouldn't get upset, they had no idea what I was going through and there might be a very good reason I was going slow.
Oh no....there it was.
The epiphany.
Heavenly Father likes to sneak life lessons on you when you aren't looking. He got me that time. I wish I could say I learned my lesson. However there have been several word eating moments in my life like that. This past week I was reminded of that yet again.

Before you read on my friends, remember that epiphany and don't laugh at me too hard!

I love "caught on tape" and embarrassing video type shows. One thing I have seen many times on those type of shows is people driving down the road with the gas pump still attached to their car. They would just drive off without returning the nozzle to the pump, and then drive off with the hose and all.



I have laughed many times at these people. Really? How dumb do you have to be? Do they just sit in their car and figure their job is done when the car is full? It's pumping gas, not rocket science..how can you mess that up?

Heavenly Father has that knowing smile again.

I have been in a hectic fog lately. Work has been stressful to say the least. I have been without a manager for my Overton Properties for almost two months. Thursday I finally started a new person. I had about a two hour drive to pretend that everything would be slowing down once I trained him. After those two hours I arrived in Searchlight and had to let another manager go. One step forward, two steps back. That turned into a long night and I didn't make it home until after 10:30.

Friday morning came and I was in Overton again trying to figure out my plan to be in four places at once again. I noticed that the tank was near empty and pulled into the gas station. The pump I choose was unbearably slow. I hate waiting and sending stink eyes to the pump wasn't speeding it up any. I usually never leave the pump because I am afraid it would overfill and spill out or that someone would jack my gas. But I figured I could grab a snapple and be back before a gallon passed. However once I walked out of the store, I forgot all about the slow pump. I was in my own little world of stress. Then someone stopped me and asked for directions and through my train of thought even further off course. I then remembered that I was running late, and the new manager was probably panicking so I had better hurry. I got in the car and drove off.

It was about 5 miles later when I started to think...
"Did I forget to get my receipt? I think I did. Wait, how could I forget my receipt, did I not click 'yes' when I put the nozzle back? Wait, how come I don't remember putting the nozzle back?"
I looked in my side mirror, and was horrified to find the gas door open and gas cap dangling in the wind. "Did I seriously do that?"

Luckily there are quite a majority of us idiots out there so pumps are now made to release. It was not quite as dramatic as a hose dangling from my car, but embarrassing all the same. I called Dave and he convinced me that I had to go back. No one at the station seemed to notice, and bonus...my receipt was still there waiting for me! As I confessed to the clerk behind the counter she told me not to worry about it, that just earlier that week a highway patrolman did the same thing.

So laugh my friends, and watch for His knowing smiles.