Learning through idiocy

I backed into a concrete wall Monday night.

Yes, my blunder was as stupid as it sounds. I was in a parking ramp backing up. I guess I'm still getting used to the big trunk on the Impala I've had for a few months now. I had a car on either side of me for perspective. The concrete wall wasn't flat but I could still see the corner of the wall that protruded into the corner of my car. (Or was it the other way around?)

I stopped at what I thought was a reasonable place, then decided the nose of my car was still too far forward. Besides, you're never as close to an object as you think you are. How many poor souls have you seen inching their way forward, trying to maneuver a parallel parking job, with 4 feet of wide open space in front of them?

Surely I still had 6 inches behind me. I gently eased off the brake.

This is the part in the script where you read, "SOFT CRUNCH SOUND."

On my way into the dentist office - as if the situation couldn't be worse, yes, I was at the dentist office - I texted Jamie my apologies and professed my undying idiocy.

She responded,

"Ok, it's just a car. I'm guessing u r about 1000 times more upset than me as I have a smirk on my face, as it is so unlike u. So does this mean we're even? ;)"

Does this mean we're even? I was confused.

Then I remembered. She schmucked the rear bumper of a car in traffic one day in our first few months of marriage. We lost $400-500 on that one.

It's funny how you forget things in marriage; things that at the time probably seemed so important; things that seemed to take such a huge dent in the budget at that point in time.

And now, those stupid mistakes are forgotten.

My idiot move reminded me of my wife's graciousness with me. I was reminded of my need to be equally gracious with her when the roles are reversed. I was also reminded of how unimportant my little mistake really was.

Because 3 years from now, the only reminder of that incident will probably be this blog post.