When Life Singles You Out

Do you ever feel like life is picking on you? I do.

I made two trips to the DMV over our new wheelchair mini-van. I had to have that brand-new bad boy smogged, taxed, and VIN verified.

Initially the DMV wasn’t going to give me handicapped plates because Ying isn’t on the car’s registration. I pointed out that’s because minors aren’t allowed to be on a vehicle’s registration. The DMV finally relented when I explained that the only reason I bought this car was for the wheelchair and signed a sworn statement acknowledging that this was Ying’s primary transportation. Two separate DMVs signed off on this and I walked out the door with the plates. (They only wanted to give me a rear-view mirror placard, which I’d have to hang each time I parked. FYI, you’ll likely need a doctor to sign off on either the placard or plates.)

Then today I got a letter from the DMV telling me to make an appointment to surrender the plates because Ying isn’t on the registration. Grrrr!

Whenever life confronts me with these aggravations, I lie. I tell myself that once I get past this hurdle that life will be smooth sailing. This isn’t true. Something new, and if possible, more inane always crops up. Why hello, adoption credit tax audit or an attempt to correct a name spelling error causing the insurance to drop said misspelled person altogether.

Life’s little tribulations are not a phase. Unlike a new pair of shoes, they do not pinch at first and then wear well. No, these blood suckers have tenure and rent-controlled housing. They are here to leech the life right out of us if we let them.

I want to be a better student of life, able to handle whatever comes at me. Fastball, I’m ready. Curve ball, I’m going to hit it out of the park. Slow pitch, come to momma.

Batter up, baby. Life’s all about the slide.

The DMV has yet to mess with this car.